Scooby Doo! The Last Piece of the Puzzle
by CierraLuv97
Summary: Sequel to Scooby Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster. Daphne deals with her new, awkward relationship with Fred as she and the rest of the gang try to make sense of cryptic clues and mysterious messages in a case that will leave you shocked - its complete!
1. Regular Routine

_**Scooby Doo! The Last Piece of the Puzzle**_

_**Okay, for all of you who watched **_**Scooby Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster**_**, I'm sure you were disappointed by the ending. Sure, it started out great: Shaggy fell in love with Velma, and Fred and Daphne both got insanely jealous (which was adorable). The actual stand-off between the gang and the monster - who was Velma - was also cool: Velma and Shaggy had a real deep moment, and Fred and Daphne were totally cute as they hugged as the frog monsters ganged up on them. And the actual mystery itself was pretty interesting: it's always kind of cool when someone you trust with your life ends up trying to kill you (even if they are poss**__**essed). The one bad thing: the ending. After the entire mystery has been solved and Velma has been de-possessed, bam! Shaggy and Velma suddenly decide they have not an iota of chemistry, and Fred and Daphne - this part is shocking - agree to be 'just friends'. Gag. **_

_**At first, I was incredibly disappointed. But then - I was on Wikipedia (yes, Wikipedia can be right sometimes) and found that the cast of the movie apparently revealed they had signed on for three movies. There's only two so far. Go nuts.**_

_**So, I got this idea about what the next movie should be about. I've never written a mystery before, so I hope you like it! I tried to keep it kind of light, since it's Scooby Doo: you're supposed to just want to smile. But it gets pretty intense! Also, it is told from Daphne's point of view.**_

**Chapter One: **

**The Regular Routine**

Three days after school had started up again in September, Fred called me with really important news. I had been fiddling around on my dad's grand piano when he had called. My dad used to be a great composer, and he'd been bugging me to write something. I had no music sense, really, but I was trying to make him happy. He worries about me, since apparently mystery solving isn't something proper to do. There was no way I was ever going to stop, so I figured if Daddy was happy, he'd get off my case.

Anyway, I was concentrating so hard that the phone ringing made me jump. Well, actually I kind of fell. Off the piano bench. Which is probably why Velma and Fred and Shaggy make fun of me during gym, although let's face it: Shaggy isn't exactly an Olympic medalist either. Although he's pretty good at cross country. With proper motivation, of course. Like food, or monsters trying to kill you, or something along those lines.

After I got up, I grabbed the phone off the wall before my dad could get to it. I knew it was either Fred, Velma, or Shaggy, and my dad hates them all. My three best friends in the world happen to be the three people who my dad could hate. Go figure.

Actually, Daddy wasn't even home, but you can never be too careful. And it would be good practice for when he was home.

"Hello?" I sounded kind of breathless, which caused by a mix of me falling off the the bench and my lunge for the phone. Whoever I was talking to probably thought I was desperate, and, with my luck, it was probably Fred.

"Hey, Daphne - are you okay?" It _was_ Fred. Darn. Why do I have to be so smart? Not as smart as Velma, but still.

"I'm fine. What's up?" I grimaced inwardly as I spoke. Last year, Fred would have just called me to talk, and that was awesome. He had pretty much been the best boyfriend I'd ever had. Except for the keeping it a secret part, but that wasn't his fault. What would have happened if we had just went up to Shaggy and Velma and went, "We're dating"? Total chaos. And it would have been totally awkward, and it would have made me feel like someone who's telling their parents they are getting married to the one guy they don't like - which I actually used to worry about, before me and Fred broke up. Well, not broke up, exactly. Just... _stopped._ After the whole lake monster ordeal, we had all pretty much thrown romantic relationships out the window, since because of our complicated romances, we all nearly got killed. So, we said bye-bye to Shelma and bye-bye to Fraphne. Which totally stinks, because I'm a sixteen year old girl. Who is very romantic. And possibly still the tiniest bit in love with her cute, brave, sensitive, brunette, sort-of-ex-boyfriend. You do the math.

"I got this weird letter in the mail," Fred said, who was obviously creeped out but didn't want me to know. Classic guy.

I frowned. "Who sends letters these days?"

"Exactly! That's what I told my mom, but she still thinks people actually write with paper and pencils," I could picture him rolling his eyes.

"That's nice, but why was it weird?" Whoa, that sounded really awkward. Drat.

"Well..." Fred hesitated. "Look, how about you and Shaggy and Velma meet me after school?"

"Kay. Where?"

"Um... that tree behind the school."

"Fred, there's like a hundred trees. Wait, do you mean Mr. Walsh's Oak?" It was like Coolsville's biggest landmark. Not knowing Mr. Walsh's Oak was like living in New York City and not knowing Broadway. "How do you not know what it's called?"

"I know what it's called! I'm not an idiot. It's just that Frank is hiding under my bed right now listening to my side of the conversation. I already deal with him at home; I don't want him popping up where he's not wanted."

"Nosy much?" I said sarcastically. I sounded like I was critisizing Fred.

"Nosy doesn't even cover it," Fred said tiredly. "Look, I gotta go and do homework. Call Velma and Shaggy and tell them, will you?"

Well, that was interesting. Fred called me first. Even though it was stupid, I felt kind of proud. "Okay. Bye."

"Bye." Then he hung up.

I groaned and flopped down on the couch. Sometimes, I think that a boy who was previously your boyfriend but is now _just_ your friend is the worst thing in the world.

Daisy, my older sister, poked her head in from the kitchen. She works in Boston as a doctor, but she was visiting home for the weekend. She and her twin Dorothy were eight years older than me, and I'd always been closest to Daisy growing up. It kind of sucked that they'd all moved out. I felt like an only child, and I hated it.

"Ooh, that's the boy trouble groan," Daisy said sympathetically. Leaving the kitche door open - she was making soup or something - she sat down on the couch next to my head. "What's up, Daphne?"

"The sky," I muttered grumpily. Like I said, I was close to Daisy, but I'd gotten into this habit of making sure whoever I was talking to really wanted to know my problems. Probably because Mom is always so busy, and only asked when it was incredibly dire or when she felt like she needed to be a good parent. Hah.

"I know your tricks," Daisy sighed. She stood up. "I could leave you to your moping, or you could tell me now."

"No, stay!" I pulled her back down. Hesitating, I rolled onto my back. "It's just... Fred."

"Fred Jones Jr, the starring quarterback on the Coolsville Cougars and the most sought-after boy at Coolsville High? That Fred?" Daisy raised her eyebrows like it was no big deal, but I know she always looked up everyone in Coolsville before visiting so she could talk to people about other people without feeling clueless. She's such a nerd.

"Yes, that Fred." I rolled my eyes. "I don't think there are any other Freds who I would associate with in this town, anyway."

"There's the mayor." Daisy pointed out. "He's a Fred. And we associate with him."

"The mayor is Fred's dad."

"Oh, right. So, what was your problem?"

"My _problem_ is that Fred, who was previously a totally awesome boyfriend, is now _just a friend_." I stared at Daisy, saying with my eyes _Red Alert! Red Alert!_

Daisy bit her lip. "Ooh, that's bad. When did you break up with him?"

I laughed. "Right. Like I would break up with him. No, we kind of made a group decision and -"

"Whoa. Group decision? What, did you hire a relationship consuler?"

"No! Me and Fred and Velma and Shaggy. After the lake monster problem at Uncle Thorny's, we decided that we all should be just friends, because we discovered that dating during a mystery ends in almost-certain-death."

"I really don't want to know how or why you were nearly killed," Daisy said kindly - that's me being sarcastic. "But your problem is that you still like him, right?"

"I have always liked him, but yes, I still _like_ him. And now it's making everything all awkward." I groaned. "Why do I have such an interesting social life? Why can't I be anti-social, like former-Shaggy?"

"Then you'd be a loser, and Blake girls aren't losers," Daisy said cheerfully.

"So, what happened to you?" I wondered. Daisy smacked me with a pillow. Now, that was an invitation I could not resist. Grabbing a pillow from the floor, I tried to hit her head, but she ducked and pushed me off the couch. I rolled onto my back and held up my pillow to defend my face as Daisy whacked me mercilessly. I was a bit disappointed that no feathers were flying all over the place, like they do in the cartoons. That has been my secret wish for ages. But I was laughing like crazy, which was the best way to laugh, in my personal opinion.

We were interrupted by a bang. I pushed my pillow into Daisy's face as I sat up. Smoke was wafting out of the kitchen and the air smelled like burned, well, everything.

"Daisy!" I shrieked, still half-laughing. "The soup!"

"Oh, crap!" Daisy stumbled up and ran to the kitchen, me following. When we walked through the door, I put my hand over my mouth to hide my smile.

It reminded me of the time that Fred had taken me to his Aunt Natalie's house. Natalie was a painter, and her idea of a good time was exploding paint-filled balloons. She put them on the stove, ran out, and just watched it. And when it exploded, it covered the entire kitchen. It actually was a pretty quick way of painting your walls. It was really entertaining. I had exploded four.

Whatever kind of soup Daisy had been cooking might as well have been inside one of Aunt Natalie's paint balloons, because it was everywhere. I felt like I was on a TV show, because this is the kind of thing they do on those stupid sitcoms I used to watch. There were pieces of chicken and lettuce and carrots and noodles all over the kitchen. A tomato fell onto my head as we stood in there, dumb-struck.

A few moments later, one of our maids, Tammie, burst through the door. I giggled. What made it funny was that the door hit Daisy's butt, and she fell foward.

"Godness, Daisy, your mother told you to make some soup, not play Extreme Makeover!" Tammie exclaimed. She was fifty and the kind of person who'd be behind a bar at a restaurant. You know - a woman who wears _no _makeup what-so-ever and calls you hon. That was Tammie. "What were you doing?"

"Pillowing me to death," I mumbled, before Daisy glared at me. A few moments later, Mom ran in. She gaped at the mess.

"Daisy!" she cried. If she was someone who yelled, she would be yelling, but my mother does not yell or shout or scream or anything.

"I'm sorry!" Daisy moaned. "I got distracted..."

"I can see that," Mom commented dryly. She quickly glanced over her kitchen, not going too far into it because of the gunk. "Tammie, call Traci and clean this up. Daisy and Daphne can help you."

Okay, this wasn't amusing anymore. "But Mom, I didn't do anything!"

"I know, sweetie, but I have to get ready. Me and Daddy are going out to dinner with the Dinkley's."

"Mom! Velma Dinkley is my best friend! Can't I come?"

Mom smiled sympathetically at me. "Oh, sweetie, sorry, but we didn't make reservations for you. It's at Maxwell's Home of Seafood; you know how strict they are about reservations. Well, have fun!" She gave me a kiss on the forehead and flitted away. I glared at Daisy.

"Nice job. Now I have to take care of your mess." I hissed when I thought Tammie wasn't paying attention.

"There wouldn't be a mess if you hadn't made me come listen to your sob story," Daisy shot back.

"Um, if I remember correctly, _you_ asked _me_ what was wrong," I said, sounding like a classic American teenager.

She would have come up with a lame comback, except that Tammie turned around and we had to stop arguing. If Tammie catches us arguing, she tells Mom and makes it sound bigger than it is, and that's an ordeal I _don't _want to deal with.

So, thanks to my considerate idiot of a sister, I spent the next hour cleaning burnt chicken off the walls. It wasn't until later that I remeber Fred's letter problem, and then, for the first time, I got a little scared about it. It hadn't caught my attention before, but something about that letter was suddenly freaking me out, which was messed up, since I didn't even know what it said. I wouldn't be calm until I saw the letter for myself.

Then again, that might just freak me out even more. Which was the problem with being one of the best paranormal detectives in the tri-state area. Well, that and the problem about me being in love with Fred but unable to date him because if I did, we might all get blown up or whatever.

Sigh. That's life for you.


	2. Love & Letters

_**Hey, people it's Cierra. Hopefully you liked Chapter One, because here's chapter two! So far, we've seen how Daphne is still in love with Fred and is dealing with her dad, but no word yet on what's going on between Velma and Shaggy. Hmmm...maybe Daphne will be able to scoop out the clues on those two. And what about that letter that Fred got? Hmmm...**_

_**Like I said, I'm gonna keep it light, but don't worry: there will be plenty of drama for the gang. If you read it, tell me what you like and what you didn't like. I would seriously like to know what everyone thinks, so if you didn't like something, tell me and don't just say "Yeah, it was awesome" or something like that. By giving me your critism and comments, you're helping me as a writer! Kay, thanks, here's chapter two!**_

_**Also, this is just the disclaimer: I don't own Scooby Doo, obviously. If I did, would I be writing fan-fiction about them? Noo, Warner Bros. owns them. Hanna-Barbera came up with the idea. **_

**Chapter Two:**

**Love and Letters**

The entire next day, I couldn't concentrate during class. I mean, I'm a good student and usually get B's or A's, but with Fred's letter and all, I was pretty uptight. Who cares about Julius Caesar when the lives of you and your friends could be at stake?

Okay, that's an exaggeration. We've only come close to dying twice. Once was our very first mystery, when we were almost blown up by our insane Principal Deedle. The other time was the whole lake monster crisis. Actually, me and Fred were really the only ones who were almost killed - we were almost eaten by those frog things. Shaggy was busy flirting with Velma/Wanda, and Scooby Doo was doing who knows what. But still, most people haven't even come close to dying ever. And me and my friends - friends being a relative term since one was a dog and I was in love with one of them - nearly got killed on a regular basis. The messed up thing was, sometimes people asked us to go chase after monsters and stuff. After we had incorporated - I had come up with the name Mystery Incorporated - people started asking us to solve their cases. We got paid, too. Isn't that sick? We split the money evenly. I'm not sure what the rest of them do with it, but my money just sort of builds up. My parents are pretty rich. I'm not worried about college or anything, and who'd want a new car when they have the Mystery Machine?

When the bell rang, letting us out of class, I practically jumped out of my seat and ran for my locker, ignoring Mrs. Pope's cries. Sorry, Mrs. Pope, but you're not that interesting. I reached my locker in record time, and I would have been at Mr. Walsh's Okay in like three seconds, except that Leroy Floyd was waiting for me.

"Hey, Daphne," he said. I think Leroy wanted to be a professional rapper or gangster or whatever, because that's how he dressed. Sideways hat, baggy pants, sweatshirt, the whole deal. It was totally annoying.

"Um, hi Leroy," I said distractedly. I wasn't in the mood for him. Hopefully he'd get bored and go rap to someone else. "How are you?"

"I'm chill, sweetheart." He grinned stupidly.

_Sweetheart_. I resisted rolling my eyes, though it was hard, because Leroy deserved it. He's such a creep. I just concentrated on getting my stuff from my locker.

As I bent down to grab a book that fell, Leroy slammed my locker shut and leaned against it in a really lame impression of cool guys in movies. "Hey, listen. I was thinking that I should take you on a date."

My eyes must have doubled in size. I stared at him dumbly like he had six heads. "Excuse me?"

"You know - you, me, dinner..." He raised his eyebrows. "Ring a bell? Anyway, when should I pick you up?"

I closed my eyes and counted to ten. I was so angry I considered hitting him. When Fred has asked on a date, he'd actually asked, not gone and assumed that I would be into him. Which I was, but still - you don't just assume that the girl wants to go with you. It was so self-centered. And although I knew he derserved worse, I would be a lady and let him down gently - because that's what I do. I am Daphne Blake, and I am a princess.

"Thanks, Leroy. But I'd rather not - maybe some other time?" I smiled at him, sort of hopefully. It was a trick I learned from my sisters: smile hopefully and the guy will be disappointed, but not heartbroken. Us Blake girls are naturally attractive, not to be boastful or anything. We've had to learn a few tricks.

But for some reason, Leroy didn't seem disappointed at all. He winked like we had some inside joke, and said, "That's cool, sweets. Talk to you later!" And then he kissed me on the cheek. My mouth dropped open in furious shock as he ran off to whatever hole he hid in. Oh my God, he was a total nub who I totally wanted to slap right across his fat face. Angrily, I gathered my books and stomped outside, to Mr. Walsh's Oak.

Maybe my luck was changing, because Velma was there, just Velma, which was a whole lot better than being alone with Fred under Mr. Walsh's Oak, which was a place where couples have been known to sneak off to and make out.

"You look mad," Velma said as I walked up.

"I am mad. I'm so mad right now if I had an ax I would chop down this tree and risk certain death," I dropped my bag down by the roots.

"What happened?" Velma asked sincerly. Before I'd become friends with Fred and Velma and Shaggy, I'd been friends with Gwendolyn Osbourne, Nicole Paul, and Felicia McCarthy. You know, the in crowd. They'd been great, I guess, but they were just people I hung out with and shared inside jokes with and gossiped with and acted with. You know, like fake friends. Like when I dated Kerry Guerrero. I got the feeling with all of them that it was just for show. This is kind of mean, but when you're friends with someone like Velma - you know, who doesn't have boys lining up at the door and isn't invited to all the cool parties and all - you know they're really your friend, because your giving up popularity and stuff like that. Not that I wasn't popular anymore - heck, no! I still talk to Gwendolyn and Nicole and Felicia - they do the school musicals with me. It's just that they aren't my _best_ friends anymore.

"Leroy Floyd thinks I'm going on a date with him," I rolled my eyes. "I hate him. He kissed me."

Velma gasped, leaning forward. "Jinkies! When?"

"Just now, in the hallway. I almost smacked him senseless." I sat down and started playing with the grass.

"He is uneducated. And he's a player." Velma grinned ruefully, and I couldn't help smiling. It was so funny when Velma said stuff that people actually say. Once, during a movie, she said _lol._ I was then the one lol-ing.

"You can say that again."

"If you were talking to Shaggy, he would take that literally," Velma pointed out.

"You're probably right." That reminded me of her and Shaggy over this summer. "Hey, what's the deal with you and Shaggy?"

Velma shrugged. She's so lucky; she doesn't care what anyone thinks about her. I could ask her about anything and her face would stay totally un-red. I'm so self-conscious, I blush all the time. Which is probably part of the reason why I was previously so popular.

"You were there when we all went to just being friends," Velma said. "I don't think I really liked him at all, actually. Well, of course I like him - he's one of my best friends. But I never developed any romantical feelings towards him."

I gaped at her. "You kissed him!"

"Well, yes, but that was after he had rescued me from Wanda Grubwort's posession. I was feeling very grateful, and I guess I mistook it for love. There was not an iota of chemistry, anyway."

"True..." I thought about that. Did I only like Fred because he saved my life? In that case, I could chuck my whole Fred problem away, since no way was I going to date anyone because of gratitude. I finally decided no - partly because I didn't really want to forget about Fred as a boyfriend, and partly because Darryl Lindsey had saved me from a truck that had been about to hit me, and I'd been embarressed that I needed saving. So, me and Fred must have something, I concluded, because we'd started dating after he saved me. Fred was different than Darryl Lindsey, I think.

Somehow, Velma must have known what I was thinking about, because she said, "You still like Fred, don't you?"

I was totally shocked, and if I had been sitting on anything I would have fallen off it. "W-what do you mean?"

Velma gave me one of those looks that say _what-kind-of-idiot-do-you-take-me-for?_ and said, "Oh, please. It's obvious that you still have feelings for him."

"Well, maybe a teeny bit," I said uncomfortably.

"Daphne!"

"Okay, I still like Fred!" I threw my hands up in the air. "I mean, a lot. And it's totally stupid, because now everything is so awkward. Argh! Why did he have to be cute and why do I have to be so attractive? I mean, can't we all be some of those losers on TV who don't start thinking about people of the opposite gender until they're like twenty?"

"Calm down," Velma said, looking a little worried. "I noticed. I think he still likes you, too."

My head snapped up. "What?"

"What are you, a star-nosed mole?" Velma demanded.

"A what?" I asked, confused but not surprised. Velma was a nerd, after all.

She gave me a whithering look. "A star-nosed mole is a small Grimstonian mole found in Canada and the North-east of the United States. Their habitat is low wetland areas and eats small invertabrates, aquatic insects, worms, mollusks, and it is suspected to be colonial. Their reproduction process -"

"Ahh, okay, that's enough. Too much information, Vel," I said, interrupting her before she could teach me something that I could never forget. "I just wanted to know why I'm a mole or whatever."

"A star-nosed mole. I said that because if you hadn't noticed that Fred likes you, your obviously blind. They're blind."

"Oh. Wait, why?"

"Well, Fred obviously likes you. I've noticed that he's awkward around you, too. That means he likes you. And -" she cut off. "Oh, I'll call you later. Fred's here."

I glanced up, and saw Fred was running towards us. Just like in the movies, my heart thumped. Oh, joy. I'm turning into one of those girls who look stupid in front of the guys they like.

"Hey, guys," Fred said as he walked up. He smiled, but not a real smile. He looked upset, and confused. Because of the letter, I bet. "Where's Shaggy?"

"He probably got freaked out after I called him and is hiding under his bed," I snickered.

"Or he snuck back into the cafeteria for second helpings," Velma giggled. To me, and probably Velma, Shaggy was like a knock-knock joke. Although it tried to be funny, it never really was, and that was what made it funny.

Fred sighed and flopped down on the grass next to us. "He'd better get here soon. I have football practice in fifteen minutes."

We sat around in silence for a few moments, then Fred said to me, "So, you're going out with Leroy now?" He sounded jealous. Oh my God, Velma was right, and maybe Fred still liked me. Why else would he ask about Leroy... unless, I argued, he was just being curious in a friendly way. But Fred wasn't stupid, and he'd most likely know I'd assume he was jealous if he asked about Leroy, and he just did. But Fred hates being jealous, so he's most likely trying to prove that he doesn't get jealous...

All the thinking was going to give me a headache, and I realized I was staring at Fred like an idiot. I said the first thing I could think of. "What?"

"Well, I saw him kiss you," Fred said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Then he realized what he said. "Uh, not that I was watching, it's just that I was going to remind you to meet everyone by the tree, but I saw him kiss you, so yeah... Are you dating?"

Wow, this day just got more interesting. "Oh, God, no. I'm not dating him. or anyone, actually. I'm totally single." I said.

I don't what I expected Fred to do - start passionately kissing me or something, except that doesn't make sense since Fred can be really shy and would never just start making out with someone in front of another person, especially Velma - but he didn't do it. He just said, "Oh," and returned to looking at the clouds. I could feel Velma's excited gaze on me, and naturally I blushed.

Shaggy still wasn't there ten minutes later. "Just show us the letter, Fred," I said eventually. "You've got to get going."

"Right." He took a crumpled, manilla envelope out of his pocket. Velma grabbed it and pushed her glasses up her nose, squinting at it. She flipped it over. "There's no return adress, or stamp. And it's adressed to all of us."

"I found it on my doorstep," Fred explained.

Frowning, Velma gently opened the letter. "_Dear Mystery Incorporated,_" she read. "_I've noticed that over the past few weeks, you've been thawrting the attemps of many criminals around Coolsville. Congratulations. I hope your experience comes in handy when you come to solve my case - if you come, that is._"

"What case?" I asked. Velma waved her hand in front of my face and shushed me, her eyes never leaving the letter.

"_You see, I've been having some paranormal difficulties around my mansion in Wirrawee, Ohio. There have been some disturbances that can only be from ghostly appriations... or something worse. I'm not sure if even you, Mystery Incorporated, will be able to solve this one. There are too many misleading clues and too much life-threatening danger. I will fully explain the details when and if you arrive here. You'd best hurry, though, because my problems here might very soon be leaking into your safe little town of Coolsville, Ohio. _

_"I'm sure you think me quite rude for not introducing myself; yet, I believe it will all make more sense if you simply come to see me. Take stuff for more than a few days; it may take you a while to unravel. Please be sure to let your parents know that you are coming to see me; if they ask my name, tell them that you were asked by Lonnie Estrada. But a few warnings for you all: Shaggy, don't run too fast. Fred, be careful of destroying something that seems bad on the surface, when it is actually good. Velma, never assume that you are right. And Daphne, I would suggest that you make a move sooner than later. As for your lovely dog, Scooby Doo, watch him carefully. He is in dreadful danger._

_"Enclosed are five train tickets. Do not worry; they will allow Scooby Doo. I will meet you at the train station here in Wirrawee at 2:00 sharp. I hope to meet you soon." _Velma let out a low whistle. "And then they signed it as Mr. Estrada."

I'm not sure about the other two, but I was stunned. The letter had been mysterious and beckoning. It invited us to come find out it's secrets, but it warned us it might not be a good idea. Instantly, I had a picture of it's writer: an old, formal man with eyeglasses and thick grey hair, possibly a British accent...

Suddenly, my daydream was shattered by a piercing scream.


	3. Danger & Discussion

_**Ooh, you were left off with a cliffhanger! A scream is always an interesting way to end a chapter. Anyway, here's chapter 3: hope you like it!**_

_**Also, I'm going to say that I don't own Scooby Doo, but isn't it obvious. I mean, the site is called **_**fan **_**. Isn't it assumed that you are a fan of whatever book/show your writing fiction about? Well, here's chapter 3. **_

_**Love, **__**Cierra**_

**Chapter Three:**

**Danger and Discussion**

For about five seconds after the scream, the only thing I could hear was my heart, pounding away like Uncle Perry when he tries to jog (Uncle Perry is a heavy man). For about three seconds after the scream, I thought someone had screamed because we were in trouble, and I half expected someone to suddenly shoot me. For about a split second after the scream, we were totally motionless. We were nailed to the grass by shock.

And then we were up and moving, running towards the scream, which came from in front of the school. We didn't say anything. We were a single working unit, and right now we were running on autopilot: identify the problem, find the clues, solve the case. That was the formula to solving a mystery, and it worked everytime.

There was large crowd surrounding the screamer - I'm not sure about the rest of them, but the screamer, right now, was something completely and utterly mysterious. It was like a dream that you couldn't quite grasp, was just out of reach. That kind of mysterious.

Anyway, since I am an expert crowd pusher (I have plenty of experience from sales and stuff), I simply shoved through the crowd, Fred and Velma behind me. I would have time to say sorry to those people I pushed later.

In the little clearing in the middle of the crowd there were three people: Officer Tyler, Officer Gross, Mrs. Gibbs, and Melody Sandoval, and Melody appeared to be the screamer. She was on the ground in hysterics. Ugh. The three main things I didn't like about Melody were: (a) she was a stuck-up snoot, (b), she was a cheerleader and (c), she was a classic blonde and a damsel in distress, and I frown on damsels in distress. First of all, they are total idiots. So, you're locked up in a tower, and your solution is this: _ooh, maybe if I brush my hair and cry prettily and be totally hot, I'll get rescued!_ Like I said, idiots.

Mrs. Gibbs was the school nurse and she was trying to calm down Melody, but she wasn't getting very far. Officer Tyler and Officer Gross were police (Officer Gross sometimes had a hard time with kids for obvious reasons). I had no idea why they were here, but that they were here at all meant something seriously bad had happened.

Freddie walked up to Officer Tyler. "Sir, what's going on?"

Officer Tyler didn't look up. "Well, we don't know. We won't know until Shelia gets Melody to shut up."

I frowned. _Shelia?_ Oh. Mrs. Gibbs. Right.

Fred nodded, all buisness, and crouched down next to Melody. I knew he was just trying to solve the mystery, but my eyes narrowed. While Fred didn't like admitting he was jealous, I had no problem suddenly hating Melody even more.

"Mrs. Gibbs, is she okay?" he asked.

"Ohh, I-I think s-so," Mrs. Gibbs said. She was always one to stutter. "B-but I w-won't know for sure until she calms d-down."

"Maybe you should slap her," I suggested innocently. Fred gave me a dirty look, and I shrugged. "Well, that's what they did to my cousin Marcia when she went into hysterics."

Velma was surveying the scene. Reflexivly, I looked when she was looking, then glanced quickly around. There was nothing out of the ordinary - besides Melody sobbing on the ground. Then I noticed something on the ground. I crouched down and picked it up. It was a golden bullet. My eyes widened.

"Fred!" I called excitedly. I turned around - and nearly dropped the bullet. Melody was hugging Fred as she sobbed into his shoulder. He was rubbing her back gently. I crossed my arms. Now I really didn't like Melody.

"Daphne, come here!" Velma called. I reluctantly turned around and walked over to her. She held up a crumpled leaf. I didn't see the point until I realized that it was splattered with something red. Oh, God. I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Twice. I hated... ugh, I can't even say it.

"Velma, please put the leaf away," I said without opening my eyes. I heard her sigh, and put the leaf into her purse. Opening my eyes, I showed her the golden bullet.

"Daphne, it's just a piece of Melody's necklace," Velma said.

"What?" I gaped at her, then shook my head. "No, it isn't! It's a golden bullet!"

"Look," Velma pointed to a little golden loop at the top where the chain would have gone. Then I noticed words at the bottom: _The Golden Shark-Tooth of Yeppaho. _

"Oh," I said, inwardly kicking myself. Stupid, stupid. Now I looked like a total moron to everyone. But before I could think too much about that, it suddenly got quieter. Melody must have stopped wailing her head off.

Sure enough, she had calmed down. But she was still sniffling and clinging onto Fred like he was a pair of 50% off genuine Gucci boots. As if. Fred was much better.

"I-it was so horrible," she whimpered, nuzzling into Fred's chest. Before I could do anything rash, I sat down next to Fred and Melody. Velma followed.

"What happened?" Fred asked sincerely. For a second, I was sucked into a flashback in which Fred had found me sobbing the park. He hadn't learned until later that it was because I'd learned that my sister Dawn had cancer, but that had been okay. I was slightly comforted by the fact that when I had been in Melody's state (of course, I had retained my dignity) he hadn't needed to know the problem, though that wasn't exactly relevant. He needed to know what happened so we could solve the mystery.

"T-there was this... thing," Melody hiccuped. "And h-he attacked me, and I fell, and... oh, Freddie!" I could only watch as she started crying again. Oh brother.

"Um, Melody," I said softly (I wasn't trying to be gentle - I figured if I spoke loudly I remember that she was holding onto the boy I loved and then I would get freaked out). "What did the thing look like?"

She seemed to finally notice me, and so help me if I'm wrong, but I swore her eyes narrowed when she saw me. "Well, it was h-human-like, and, um, he had fangs, I think, and he had long, black hair, and white skin, and blood around his mouth." A horrible imagination came into mind about what Melody must have seen, and I almost sympathized with her for a moment, because the picture of blood was enough to make me sick.

"It s-sounds l-like a v-vampire!" Mrs. Gibbs exclaimed.

"Snapping starfish, she's right!" Officer Gross cried.

Officer Tyler whistled. "Erik, call the sheriff now. We've got to tell them that there's a bloodsucking vampire on the loose in Coolsville."

When he said Coolsville, it brought me back to Mr. Estrada's letter. _You'd best hurry, though, because my problems here might very soon be leaking into your safe little town of Coolsville, Ohio._ I was willing to bet that this vampire was what Mr. Estrada was talking about.

Officer Gross nodded and shoved through the crowd towards the police car. Mrs. Gibbs helped Melody up and lead her into the school, and the noise in the crowd flared up again.

Then I remembered my 'golden bullet'. I almost threw it on the ground, but instead I put it in my jeans pocket. Something inside me told me I would need it.

* * *

We'd agreed that we'd ask our parents as soon we got home, and then we'd all do a video chat at 4:00. When I went online, Shaggy was on. Velma had emailed him the letter and everything that had happened with Melody.

And when it did load, for a moment I thought it had loaded wrong. Because, behind Shaggy, was a girl who looked like a professional model. Long, beautiful golden hair and bright blue eyes. A perfect figure and perfect skin. She looked like a fairy. My eyes nearly fell out of my head - not because she was so pretty, but because she was in the same room as Shaggy.

"Hi, Daphne," he said, grinning, probably at my dumbfounded expression.

"W-who's that?" I spluttered, pointing to the golden-haired girl. She was lying on Shaggy's bed, reading a magazine.

"Who?" Shaggy asked, mock confused, then he turned around. "Oh, that's Doris Fitzgerald."

"Well, that's nice, but _who_ is she?" I demanded.

"Oh, she's my girlfriend."

Okay, the world has offically gone nuts. I thought it was in trouble when I was seven and they cancelled _Kim Possible_, but this was the icing on the cake. "What do you mean, your girlfriend?"

Shaggy shrugged. "Well, she's, like, a girl, and she's my friend - though friend is a relative term," he said. Doris giggled and walked over. "Anyway, Doris this is my friend, Daphne."

"Hi, Daphne!" Doris said in that tone girls use when their boyfriend introduces them to a girl who's a friend; I know I've used it plenty of times.

"Hi, Doris." I said, not really paying attention to her. Sure, she was pretty, and sure, Shaggy was Shaggy, but I needed to talk to him about the letter. "Did you get Velma's email?"

Shaggy's face went from smug to nervous. "Like, yeah, and I vote we totally not go."

"Did you ask your mom?" I asked.

"Like, yep." he gulped.

"Well, what'd she say?"

"Um, yes." He admittted sheepishly.

"Good. So did my mom. She apparently knows this Mr. Estrada guy. It was weird," I shook my head. A little box popped up on the screen, blinking Fred's screen name. "Oh, Fred's here." I clicked accept, and Fred popped up on my desktop. He was in his bedroom. It was as familar to me as mine; the blue walls, plain bed, football team banners and stuff like that. I missed it.

"Hey, guys -" Then he noticed Doris. If I wasn't prone to getting jealous, I would have found it amusing how his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw her. "Um..."

"Shaggy's girlfriend," I told him.

He blinked, and I stiffled a giggle as I watched his eyes go from Shaggy to Doris. "B-but... _how_?"

"That's what I was about to ask, but I think we have bigger issues."

Fred nodded absentmindedly. Okay, he'd had time to gawk, and technically I wasn't his girlfriend, so I had no control over who he dated, but I still didn't want him going gaga over Doris, and I don't think Shaggy did either. "Hello, Freddie? Do you want to still do this chat, or do we have to kick you out before you start drooling over Shaggy's girlfriend?" It sounded sharper than I intended it to be.

Fred came into focus, and his face reddened. "I wasn't drooling!"

"Well, whatever. Did your mom say yes?"

"Yeah. It was weird. I just told her Lonnie Estrada wanted me and you guys to come meet him, and she acted like I'd just told her that I got a scholarship to Haravard or something." Fred paused, lost in thought, then shook his head. "Anyway, I just thought it was weird. Can you guys go?"

"Uh-huh." I nodded. "It was like you said; my mom apparently not only knows this guy, but is like his bff."

"Like, my mom gave the OK, but me and Scooby vote no." Shaggy said, sounding as certain as Shaggy can be.

"Speaking of Scooby, where is he?" Fred asked, ignoring Shaggy's refusal to solve the mystery. That's what he said about every single case we recieved, and he always came. All you have to do is bribe him.

"Oh, he's getting me and Doris a pizza," Shaggy said, flashing a grin at his girlfriend. She smiled sweetly back.

"Actually, Shaggums, I have to go. My mom needs me to look after Maurice and Marcus." Doris said apologetically. She kissed him on the cheek, waved a little Prom Princess waved, then flitted out the door, leaving Shaggy staring dreamily after her. I resisted groaning. From the look on his face, we'd being hearing a lot about Doris. Joy.

An alert popped up. "Ooh, Velma's here." I clicked accept. Velma appeared on my computer. For some reason, she was in the woods.

"Um, Velma? Why are you in the woods?" I asked warily, half afraid of the answer.

"Oh, I'm studying the habits of the worm." Velma whispered, her eyes gleaming behind her glasses. "Mr. Stokes assigns an essay a month on whatever we want, so I'm going to get all of mine done right now."

"That's ridiculous." Fred said bluntly.

"Ridiculously smart," Velma corrected.

"Like, please tell me your parents didn't say yes." Shaggy said, twisting his shirt into nervous knots. Still looking for excuses not to go, I could see.

Velma shook her head. "Oh, we're going. But first, we have to talk about that letter. Either it means absolutely nothing or absolutely everything."

"My guess is that if he wrote a letter, it must be important. You don't just handwrite a letter like that and have it mean nothing," Fred said.

"Unless he's really formal, and like British or something." I pointed out.

Shaggy frowned. "Like, why British?"

"Well, think about it: when you say fancy words, it's more fun to say them with a British accent, right?" I explained. "And my dad's family is from England, and they're all really proper. They eat hot dogs with knives and forks. It's so funny. Plus, Americans are rude in general and we hate letters, and would never go to that much effort unles we weren't born here."

"Anyway," Fred said quickly, before we could get too off-topic. "He didn't sound like he was insane."

"Usually you can't tell until you meet him." That was Velma, being logically negative.

"Let's just assume he's sane, okay?" I said. "What about those warnings, for each of us? It sounded important."

"Yeah, okay. I have the letter." Fred took it out. "Um, it says: _Shaggy, don't run too fast. _What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"Like, I could try to run slower when we're getting chased by the blood-thirsty vampire," Shaggy suggested.

"I think he means something a bit deeper than that, Shag." I said. If I had a beard (not that I ever would get one, ew!) I'd be stroking it furiously. "Well, if he's trying to be metaphorical, he could just mean, like, don't rush into anything. Be cautious."

Shaggy snorted. "Like, I'm already more cautious than the three of you combined!"

"There's a difference between being cautious and being coward," Velma said slyly. See, that's the thing I love about Velma. Most of time, her jokes are lame and that's what makes them funny, but sometimes she says something so funny and true that you end up wondering how well you really know her.

Shaggy didn't try to deny that he was a chicken, because that would be like me saying _I'm not pretty, _because that was so ridiculous you couldn't even consider it. Of course I was pretty! And of course Shaggy was a wimp, and of course Velma was a nerd, and of course Fred was absolutely perfect, even with his flaws.

See, that just shows how bad I've got it. I should be in a hospital.

A thought suddenly came into my mind. "Okay, I know this is kind of stupid, but what if it has to do with Shaggy and Doris?"

Velma frowned and asked, "Who's Doris?" at the same time that Shaggy screeched "Of course not!"

"Doris is Shaggy's girlfriend," Fred said, grinning.

Velma glanced at Shaggy, and, for some crazy reason, her eyes narrowed. "Oh."

"Mr. Estrada can't know that I'm dating Doris. We've only been dating since Monday."

"And he shouldn't know us so well that he's able to give us these creepy hints, but he did, didn't he?" I argued. "He's probably a phsyic. Or something. Anyway, we at least know this guy knows things he shouldn't know, about like our _souls._"

"Our souls?" Fred said skeptically.

"Well, somthing along those lines. Anyway the point is, if he knows our deep, dark secrets, he should be able to know who's dating who. I bet he found some blog on us."

"We're not important enough to have a blog, Daph." Velma said wearily. We've had this conversation before.

I flipped my hair. "Well, you get the idea."

"Yeah, I guess it's possible," Fred admitted. "So, Shaggy's message is to not rush. Okay, what about Velma's? _Never assume you are right_?"

"It doesn't make sense. Velma's always right, so she never needs to assume." I added.

"Well, I'm flattered," Velma said, smiling. "But I am human; I have the capability to be inaccurate, just like you three. I'll just remember to double check things."

"Okay. Next up is Daphne. Yours was, _Daphne, I suggest you make a move sooner than later._" Fred raised his eyebrows. "Any idea on that?"

None that I could share. My only thought was that Mr. Estrada was telling me to get together with Fred now instead of later, but of course that was ridiculous. He couldn't interfere in my love life - though I'd just told Shaggy it was possible, like, three seconds ago.

"Maybe it's, like, not to freeze up." Shaggy said. "Remember that time that Daphne was going to throw the net at the zombie cheerleader, and she froze right in front of her, and ended up with a broken ankle?"

"It wasn't my fault," I muttered. I'd felt totally damsel-in-distressy then. "I'm telling you, she paralyzed me with her eyes."

"She wasn't real," Velma scoffed.

"Anyway, Daphne, just remember not to freeze up. And what about mine: _be careful of destroying something that seems bad on the surface, when it is actually good_? I'm not destructive!"

"Maybe it has something to do with suspecting people who are innocent," I said. Fred had been known to do that.

"Maybe. Look, I gotta go. The worms are coming out." Velma said. I rolled my eyes. "We'll talk about it on the train - what time does it leave the station, Freddie?"

"Um..." Fred quickly checked the tickets. "Twelve."

"Good. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Velma's box disappeared.

I sighed. "I'd better go, too. Start my homework and stuff."

"Yeah, I've got to do some push-ups or something. I missed football practice, and now I feel like I need to run laps or something." Fred said. I smiled unconsciously.

"Like, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow." Shaggy said glumly.

"You had better be there," Fred said strictly. "We've got a mystery on our hands."

"Oh, me and Scoob will be there. Ready to get eaten by ghosts and vampires and goblins and whatnot." Shaggy sighed. "I suppose we can't just cancel last minute?"

"Sorry, Shaggy," I said, keeping a straight face.

"Well, see you guys later, then." His box closed off. Then it was just me and Fred.

"Listen, Daphne, you know that girl, Melody?" Fred said suddenly.

My stomach clenched. I certaintly didn't want to hear anything about Melody. "Fred, I have to go."

"But Daph -" he insisted.

"Bye, Fred." I said quickly. Fred's face was gone. And my heart was pounding again, for some reason. Probably fear, because although vampires were scary, I saw them all the time. They were nothing compared to my fear of Fred getting together with another girl.

As I sat there, I realized we'd forgotten to talk about Scooby's warning: _He is in dreadful danger_. Suddenly, dispite the warmth of my room, I was chilled to the bone.


	4. Trains & Tragedy

_**Okay, I know the last chapter was a bit long, but I hope you liked it! Remember, I am starved for feedback! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, and what you think is going to happen next. My style of writing is my own, but is also very influenced by the opinions of people around me; that is, the story will definitely be affected by your feedback.**_

_**I'm just going to say this so no one sues me or whatever, but I definitely don't own Scooby Doo. That goes for the rest of the chapters, too. Well, here's chapter 4: Hope you enjoy!**_

_**LOVE always! ~ Cierra**_

_**PS: My Ohio geography isn't too crash hot. If you an Ohioan, please don't bring up all my geography points - well, you can, but it won't help me (just make me feel bad) since I already know it's wrong.**_

**Chapter Four:**

**Trains and Tragedy**

Fred picked me up at eleven-thirty the next moring. Quickly, I kissed my mother on the cheek and hugged Daddy. His face was hard.

"I thought you broke up with the Jones kid," he grunted.

I flushed. "Well, yeah, but he's still my friend."

"Humph." Daddy did not approve. I sighed and grabbed my suitcase - Mom had suggested taking enough stuff for the weekend, just in case. Waving bye to Daisy, I ran out the front door, lugging my suitcase behind me. Of course, I tripped on the hose which _someone _(aka, Alvin, our groundskeeper) must have left outside. I caught myself, but I'm sure they were all making fun of me. To confirm this, I saw Fred shaking with laughter in the driver's seat. I gritted my teeth determinedly. Holding my head up high, I marched to the Mystery Machine with all the dignity I could muster.

Velma opened the back door as I arrived. "Having some trouble?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you very much," I said coldly. I handed her my suitcase and walked over to the passenger seat.

You see, here comes the awkward part. When Fred and I stopped dating, I figured if I stopped sitting in the front like I usually do, I'd make everything worse. So, I'd tried to keep everything like it was before. Which means I still sat in the front seat. Which means that it was always a wee bit awkward up there. And it was going to be even worse today, because Fred had tried to tell me that he was suddenly deeply in love with Melody yesterday (well, he hadn't said that, but I tended to go with the extreme worst possibility), but I'd cut him off. But it was just because I was scared.

I slid into the seat, and would have sat there for about ten seconds, trying to make conversation with Fred, except that suddenly something wet and warm was in my face. My first thought was that Velma showing me the subject of her essay and that it was a worm - a real fat one, too - except that I knew she knew that if she did that, I'd totally pound her face in.

"Oh!" I gasped, then quickly narrowed down the suspects - I'd closed my eyes, and had no intention of opening them until I was sure it wasn't a worm. Definitly wasn't Velma, Shaggy wouldn't try to eat my face, no matter how starving he was, and Fred was too much of a gentleman to start making out with me - if we were dating, which we weren't. "This is Scooby Doo, right? And not a worm, because I would really love it if it wasn't a worm."

Everyone laughed. Then Scooby Doo said, in his funny little voice, "Ri, Raphne!"

I opened my eyes and wrapped my arms around the big, wonderful dog. "Hi to you too, Scooby!" I've always wanted a dog. When I was like ten and lonely because my sisters were away, I always imagined myself spilling out my troubles to a dog. A beautiful, silky, golden-haired dog. Well, two years ago, Shaggy showed us Scooby, and although he isn't mine, he's as close to mine as _not-mine_ can get.

I gave him a pat on the head, then twisted around and grabbed my purse. I was looking for my cute little compact mirror, except that I got that weird feeling you get when someone is staring at you. I looked up, and Fred was staring at me funny. Not funny as in_ I've-got-food-on-my-face_ funny, but funny because it was the kind of stare I used to get when we were dating. And even though the Mystery Machine is fairly small, I suddenly forgot about those three people in the back. When I tried to recall their names, a lazy part of my brain hushed the fussy part. _Kiss him, _the lazy part whispered. And I wanted to, except that my jeans starting vibrating. It took me a few moments to realize it was my phone, and then Fred was driving and the moment was lost.

Angrily, I checked my text message, to see who in the world had interrupted my first kind-of-romantic moment with Fred in months. Ironically enough, it was Velma. _Told u so,_ she'd written. Probably smugly, since Velma can be pretty darn cocky.

_U sure did, you moment-murderer_, I texted back quickly. If Fred leaned over and saw what I was typing - God, the humilation would never end! Quickly, I slipped my phone into my purse.

The train station was only fifteen minutes away from my house, so we arrived there with about ten minutes to spare. We parked quickly and hurried inside - Fred never did like to be late for things.

The last time I'd been on a train was when we went to visit my mom's best friend Kristen in a town called Doyle, when Kristen's sister had died. I had been twelve, and I remember wishing I could live on a train, since the experience was strange and exhilarating.

And even though things were bound to be even cooler this time - we had our own car, thanks to Mr. Estrada - I was sure I wouldn't get the same kick out of it as I did four years ago. Over time, some of the best, simple things in life - birthdays, prizes, candy - became less exciting. Of course, some things always retained the same flair, such as shopping, finally defeating a criminal, and making out with boys (well, Fred). Not that I did those things excessively when I was twleve, but you get the picture.

When we got to our car, Shaggy let out a whistle. I silently agreeed. Man, it was sick! There were two benches with leather cushions on each side that turned into a bed, and a pull out bunk over each one. There was even a cute little bell to ring if you needed help.

I placed my bag in the bag holder thingy and flopped out on one of the benches. Shaggy and Scooby ran out of the car, probably looking for food. Velma sat down next to me and raised an eyebrow. It was probably something about Fred. I mouthed _text me._ Velma nodded, but before she could take out her phone, Shaggy burst in.

"They have a dining car, guys!" He exclaimed. I'd been right. That, for Shaggy, made even the worst situation perfect. Scooby Doo nodded.

"Rhere's ramburgers rand rupcakes!" he woofed joyfully. I giggled. Oh, Scooby. The two nutheads ran back out. I sighed. We'd better be prepared to explain why Shaggy and Scooby had eaten the table, because they do that a lot. _Well, they get so hungry that they don't know where the food ends and the table begins._

Fred sprawled out on the other bench. "If only everyone could ask us to come solve a mystery for them with free, first class train tickets."

"That'd be the life." I agreed. My phone started vibrating. "Ooh, my cellular device is alerting me of a text message." I pulled out my phone. From Velma. _You think it was really a moment? _

I sighed and shook my head. _ive been on loads of dates, and freds the only one who ive ever had a moment like that with._ Velma had so much to learn. Like, how pink doesn't go with red, and how when two people are meant to be, they'll ultimately become a couple in the end.

The train stared moving, and the conductor came in to collect our tickets. Fred gave them to him. The conductor grabbed them, then did a double take. "You're those crime-fighting kids, aren't you?"

"That's us." Fred said proudly.

"Well, I suggest that when we stop in Wirrawee, you get a ticket back." The conductor said, his voice harsh and low. Me and Velma exchanged glances.

"Um, excuse me?" I said uncertaintly.

The conductor's head whipped around, and I was shocked by the intensity of his face. He looked like he thought he was the only thing standing between us and death. "Listen, little lady. That town is chock-full of people you've busted. It's mighty dangerous. If you don't ever come back, don't say I didn't warn you." Grumbling to himself, he exited the cabin.

I guess I should have been expecting it. No mystery is complete without a creepy warning from a half-crazed guy who's trying to save us from eternal doom and all that.

"He's scary," I whispered after a moment. I didn't know why I did, but that man had been nuts. He was bound to burst through the door at any moment, ranting about the dark side or something.

"No kidding." Fred agreed. He was also talking quietly.

"I wonder if his information was accurate," Velma mused. "I mean, about all those criminals we stopped from robbing banks and killing people."

"No way," I said, not because I had any proof, but because that'd be way too scary if all the people we'd ever stopped were all there and going after us.

"Mr. Estrada would have warned us," Fred said - hopefully, I thought.

Velma sighed. "Well, I suppose we won't know until we get there. Anyway, I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Velma stood up, grabbing her phone. As the door shut, my phone vibrated again. _good luck_, Velma had typed.

I suddenly realized that me and Fred were very alone in this car, and maybe it was my imagination, but suddenly everything was hypercharged. My heart fluttered.

I tried to figure out what I would have done before we were dating. Of course, I'd liked Fred from the beginning, but it was never awkward like it usually was now. Anyway, I eventually got up and sat next to him. He was reading some book. I would ask him what book, except that he looked really into it. So, I leaned my head around, trying to see the cover. I saw the word _Sherlock_ before I fell off the bench.

"Oof!" I stood up a little unsteadily, my face pink. Fred was laughing too hard to help. _Men_. I sniffed as I sat back down. "It was gravity, that's all."

"For some reason, it affects you more than anyone else." Fred snickered before realizing what he just said.

I put my hands on my hips. "You think I'm fat!"

"No!" Fred managed to say before he was sucked into laughter.

"Yeah, that's right. Laugh." I hit his arm with my purse. "But when I explode because of my pudginess, you won't be laughing then!" I was laughing too, and a part of my mind that was seperate from it all - the fussy part - realized that this was the first time in a while that me and Fred hadn't said_ um_. It was progress.

I sat back down after we'd finally calmed down, and I remembered the reason I'd fallen onto the ground. "You're reading Sherlock Holmes?"

"Yeah. Have you read them?"

"Uh-huh, last year. I don't remember them all, but a few stuck in my mind because the villans were even crazier than the ones we see." Like the one with the guy who made a turkey swallow a diamond. And the one where the dad pretended to be this guy who was courting his daughter so his daughter wouldn't leave and the dad wouldn't lose her money.

"You'd think I'd get sick of mysteries, what with us living them all the time, but his are so creepy. Like the speckled band one. That one was creepy."

"Oh, I remember that one! Yeah, after I read that one I was afraid some snake was going to crawl into my bed at night and eat me, except I don't think the snakes here are big enough. Especially for me, since apparently I'm fat!"

Fred laughed again. "No, what I meant was that you always fall down on your face."

That was almost as bad as fat. He was making me sound like a damsel in distress, which I am most definitly not. "That's not true! I'm perfectly graceful. And not the kind of graceful that princesses who get kidnapped and need some dumb knight to save them. No, I'm graceful as in I can kick butt by myself. I'm not Melody Sandoval." Oh, whoops. Maybe I shouldn't have said that, but too late now. If Fred liked her, he could get mad. Whatever.

But Fred just started laughing like I'd made the most funny joke ever. I was completely baffled, since most guys get ticked off if you insult their girlfriends - I know Fred had when I was his girlfriend. That had been cute. Anyway, I just waited until he stopped laughing enough to talk. Then he said, "Well, I guess that's true. She was practically choking me to death yesterday. I thought she'd never let go."

Well,_ that_ wasn't what I expected him to say. I frowned. "I thought you liked her?"

Fred looked shocked. "When did I say that?"

I shrugged, blushing. "I don't know, I just kind of figured."

"Oh." Fred said. "Well, I don't."

"Oh." Darn, why'd I have to bring up all the romantic junk? Now it was all awkward again.

Then again, you have no idea how relieved I felt when Fred said that. If he didn't like Melody, maybe he still liked me! And maybe by the end of this case, he'd ask me out and we'd kiss in the rain and my heart would come to a thudding stop like it always does when Fred's around -

I shook my head without realizing I was doing it. We couldn't date. If we did, we'd get too absorbed in our own problems and miss the clues, just like we did with the curse of the lake monster. Of course, even if we hadn't been in the middle of about seven different, petty dramas, I doubt we would have solved it. You can never suspect the ones closest to you. It goes against the grain. It's like breathing underwater.

I realized that I was staring at Fred like a moron - again. Ugh. I probably looked pathetic.

Before I could try to start up the conversation again, however, Velma ripped open the door and shot into our car. I gasped and gripped Fred's arm unconsciously. When I realized where my hand was, I didn't let go. There'd be time for awkwardness later. Because, if Velma's face was anything to go by, there was definitely something wrong. Something very, very wrong.


	5. The Search, the Shoe, & the Stuart

_**So, how'd you guys like the last chapter? Pretty interesting stuff, right? First, Fred and Daphne totally have a moment. Oooh! And, what's up the creepy conductor? And what is Velma flipping out about? **_

_**Well, more answers are going to be revealed in the next chapter. Once again, please, please, **_**please **_**leave me feedback! I love it! Tell me what you liked, what you disliked, what you think can be improved, what you think's going to happen next, what the clues mean… anything that was going through your head as you read this story, I want to know!**_

_**Disclaimer: It's kind of obvious, but I don't own Scooby Doo. Okay? Okay. Here's chapter 5. Bon appetit!**_

**Chapter Five:**

**The Search, the Shoe, and the Stuart**

"Velma?" Fred said uncertaintly, standing up. My hand fell off his arm and landed in my lap. I was too absorbed in what Velma had to say to move it. "Velma, what's going on?"

Velma shook her head and leaned against the door. She was wheezing for breath, but she managed to gasp, "There's... some guy... with a gun... coming -" The door she was leaning against swung open and pushed her to the ground. At first I was afraid it was that guy Velma was talking about. But it was just Shaggy and Scooby, nervous as ever

"Like, what's going on?" Shaggy asked, his eyes darting from Velma, who was gasping on the ground, to Fred, who was braced for whatever was coming but still scared, to me, who was sitting on the bench, petrified.

"Velma says there's a guy with a gun," Fred said quickly. We all seemed to realize at the same time that the door was open.

"Shaggy!" I yelped. "Shut the door!"

Shaggy gulped and slammed the door shut. Scooby crouched down beside Velma, and I stood up. After a moment, I took my shoe off and gripped it like it was the only life saver in a shark-infested ocean. There wasn't much of a heel, but it better than nothing.

We must have stood there for five minutes, frozen, straining to see the creep that Velma had seen. After a while, Fred relaxed a little. Shaggy sighed and flopped onto the bench. I lowered my shoe-weapon.

You know how when you're expecting something, it never comes, but when you let your guard down, it hits you like a pound of bricks? That was the case here. Just as Fred was saying, "Velma are you sure you saw someone?", the door burst open and a masked man, waving a gun around like he was a kid with a lollipop, ran into our car and slammed the door. And locked it. My eyes widened, and my heart went on hyperdrive. Scooby and Shaggy grabbed one another. Velma put her hand over her mouth, and Fred jumped back.

None of us knew what to do, I think. I mean, it's not like we'd ever been threatened with a gun before - we hadn't actually. Sure, there was the time that Gilbert Sherman told us he'd shoot our brains out if we intefered, but we hadn't actually seen the gun. And now, here it was, held by this quivering, diabolical man.

"No one move!" He shouted unnessacerily. We all were statues. "Now, if y'all don't do what I say, someone is going to get hurt. You hear?" Everyone muttered _yes_ except for me. I was trying to figure out where I'd heard that voice before. Plus, I was pretty sure my voice had been knocked out of my throat when Mr. Gun-man had run in here, so what was the point.

"I said, you hear?" The man was suddenly screaming in my face. My breath quickened when I realized that he had the gun pointed right at my heart. My eyes flashed from Fred to Velma to Shaggy to Scooby, who were staring at me in horror. My throat still felt too dry, but I mouthed _yes_ and the man was satisfied. He backed away from me. I wanted to sit down and cry, but I made myself stand up straight.

"Right. Now, which one of you have the gold tooth?" The man glared at us. I frowned. Gold tooth?

"Um, none of us have this... gold tooth, sir," Fred said eventually.

That ticked him off. "Did I tell you to speak?" He yelled. "Did I give you permission to talk?"

"No, sir," Fred said. Wow. Even facing death in the face, he didn't stutter. Lucky him.

"Well, then, _why are you talking_?" The man's voice was so loud, that I nearly reached up and covered my ears, except that I figured he'd go bonkers and shoot Fred, and that wasn't an option.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a thought came into my head that was so terrifying that I silently begged myself to forget it, because it could probably end up killing us all.

The thought was a memory of my golden bullet. It had been nothing, but the words on the bottom: _The Golden Shark-Tooth of Yeppaho._ Oh my God, I had the gold tooth. And it was sitting casually in my purse, two feet away frkm this crazy man. I'd stuffed it in there this morning when I was packing. Better have it with me, I'd thought, then have Daddy find it and discover I was snooping. And now it was going to kill us all.

Maybe I should have just told him then that I had the tooth, except for a bit of information I'd picked up: when a man like this - you know, evil - wants something this bad, he should never have it. But I had it. I swallowed.

I remember Fred had told me once that looking at my face was like reading a book. And now reading was going to kill me, because if my face looked anything like I felt, I'd be dead. I almost laughed, because I could just picture them writing about me in the newspaper: _Daphne Ann Blake was killed by reading last Saturday morning._ All my teachers would sure be in trouble, after telling us for all those years that reading was healthy. Ha.

And I was right, because the gun was suddenly in my face again and the man was screaming again. "Against the wall! Now!"

That took the laugh out of me. As if in a dream, I stood against the wall and trembled, trying to shut out bad thoughts, which was like trying to get Cousin Vernon to sit still. In other words, impossible.

The man leaned in close to my face. I stayed perfectly still, partly to show him I wasn't scared and partly because I thought if I moved, he'd probably shoot me right now.

"Now, sweetheart, I don't want to shoot you," he whispered, his voice laced with toxin. I gaped at him. He sounded just like Leroy Floyd. But that was impossible, since Leroy -

"Where's the tooth?" He yelled. I flinched, and the man grabbed my arm.

"Hey!" Fred shouted.

What happened next happened very fast. I realized I was still holding my shoe, said a silent prayer, and smacked the gun out of his hands, then smacked his head. The man staggered back, shocked. I flung the gun across the room, not caring where it landed. Then something started pounding at the door. For a split second, I thought it was more guys with guns, but then Velma screeched, "It's the staff!" Shaggy unlocked and yanked open the door so quick that you could have missed it if you blinked. The people rushed in.

The man froze when he saw them. But he adjusted quickly. Before anyone else could do anything, he pushed me to the ground. I tumbled over a suitcase and I hit my head on the ground and, instead of getting up, took a few moments to close my eyes and just concentrated on breathing. I heard people running around, but didn't get up, even when I heard people screaming distantly. This sounds cruel, but none of them sounded like my friends, and they were the only people who could convince me to open my eyes.

There was a lot of talking. I heard Velma assure them that we were fine, which was slightly insulting. I'd been pushed to the ground. Hello? But I guess they assumed I was okay. Which was good, because I didn't want them thinking I was dead. Then lots of the people left, and the noise died down. I was actually enjoying myself. Not the whole head throbbing thing, but the listening part and figuring out what's going on. My Uncle Alexander is blind, and he always mopes around like it's the worst thing on Earth. And I always assumed it was pretty bad, but even me, an girl who was lived off sight her whole life, can figure out what everyone is doing pretty easily.

Footsteps echoed around me, and I heard some people sit down beside me. I heard Fred say in a horrified whisper, "Oh my God. He killed Daphne. Oh my God." From the sound of his voice, he was sitting right by my head.

"Raphne!" Scooby Doo sobbed.

Now, I couldn't have Fred thinking I was dead. I couldn't have Scooby Doo thinking I was dead. I couldn't have anyone thinking I was dead. I was totally prepared to make a dramatic come-back like they do in the movies, except Velma said dryly, "Don't worry, Fred. She's alive. I saw him push her, and she wasn't pushed hard enough to give her a concussion, let alone kill her. I don't think she's even unconscious, although she's going have a pretty bad bruise. Isn't that right, Daphne?" Well, at least _someone_ was enjoying herself.

I moaned and put my arm over my eyes. Like I said, only my best friends could convince me to get up, but I was so not ready to. Plus, Velma had just totally killed what would have been a really sweet, romantic moment. Did she have to suck the joy out of everything?"Go away. I'm dead."

Fred let out a low breath, and my face was covered with kisses from Scooby Doo. Of course, Scooby Doo was only my second choice of kisser, but he'd have to do.

I sat up and gently touched the place on my head where it hurt the most. Ow. Wincing, I said, "What happened after I fell down? I was having a breather."

"Yeah." Velma said. "I could see. Well, the guy grabbed his gun and pushed his way out of the room. Then everyone was talking at once, and they wanted to take us to see the nurse, but I told them we were all fine, which wasn't a lie, since I knew you were. Fred and Shaggy weren't so sure, though." Velma smiled mischeviously at the two of them. Fred shrugged, and Shaggy quickly copied him.

I smiled. "Aw, thanks. I feel appreciated. Sort of. I mean, I heard you tell them that we were fine, I was kind of insulted."

Fred smiled for the first time after the attack. "Of course you were."

"Like, what did he mean, the golden tooth?" Shaggy asked, as if we knew the answer. Well, I did, but he didn't know that.

"As if we know," Velma spoke my thoughts.

"Oh, right." Shaggy realized. I rolled my eyes. Then I got serious.

"Actually, I think I might know." I leaned forward. "Velma, remember how I found part of Melody's necklace, and you told me that it wasn't a 'real clue'?" I made my voice deeper around Velma's part.

Velma frowned. "Yeah, I recall that. And also, I don't talk like that."

I waved her off impatiently. "Whatever. Anyway, I kept the necklace because I figured I might need it. And I was right. It was from that water park, Yeppaho? And you know how they've made up this legend about this guy who spent twenty years searching for the Gold Shark of Yeppaho, and then his body washed up on the beach? And how they found a gold shark-tooth in his heart? Well, it said _The Golden Shark-Tooth of Yeppaho _on her necklace. See where I'm going with this?" I smiled smugly.

"Jinkies," Velma breathed. "You're right. For some reason, the masked man must have been searching for it."

"But why?" Fred said aloud what we were all thinking.

"Maybe Melody just wants her necklace back," I suggested.

"So, she hired some creep to come and threaten to shoot us unless we gave it back?" Velma asked skeptically. "Highly unlikely."

"But it's possible." I pointed out. "After all, that chick is totally whack. We don't know that she wouldn't hire a creep to come and threaten to shoot us."

"Good point," Fred said.

"Like, who cares why?" Shaggy said, glancing over his shoulder as if he expected the man to come back. "As soon as the train stops, we should buy a ticket straight back to Coolsville. I mean, this is insane!"

"It's not any worse than any of our usual cases," Velma said. "The only difference is that this time, the villian's target is us."

"Oh, joy." That was me, being a pessimist.

Suddenly, the door opened. All our heads snapped to the door, and I'm sure we all thought it was that weird man. But it wasn't. It was just a young waiter. "The guy jumped off the train."

"Oh my God." I whispered.

"Is he dead?" Fred asked.

The kid shrugged, annoyed. "How am I supposed to know?" he snapped. "They made me come check on you as soon as he jumped. I didn't even get to see it."

I exchanged glances with the gang. He was so shallow. I remember how Fred had told me that he had always wanted to see a car crash to see what it was like, and when he finally saw one when he was twelve, it haunted him. And he felt so bad, because he'd wanted to see something as bad as that.

Fred cleared his throat, and said, "I'm sure it wasn't cool." He was obviously also thinking about the car crash thing.

"How am I supposed to know? I didn't get to see it!" he groaned. I gritted my teeth. He was _so_ annoying.

"Well, thank you for telling us," I hinted.

The kid did not take the hint. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and inspected each and every one and us. After a moment, I felt his eyes on my head. My hand drifted up unconsciously toward my hair.

"Why is your hair messy?" he asked bluntly.

I was shocked. No one every called _my_ hair messy. They called Shaggy's hair messy. Sometimes they called Fred or Velma's hair messy. But never _my_ hair. The best comeback I could think of was, "That's not very nice."

"Why is your hair messy?" he repeated.

"Because I was pushed. Happy?" It came out a bit meaner than I really wanted it to, but oh well. The kid deserved it.

He finally smiled, a slow, mischevious smile. "Cool. My name's Stuart," he added shyly. "Stuart Saunders."

"Oh." I didn't know what to say to that.

But Fred did. "Okay, that's nice. Bye, Stuart!"

Stuart gave Fred a hard, cold look, then marched out of the room.

"He's a creep," I said frankly as soon as the door shut.

"Couldn't agree more," Fred muttered.

Velma looked down at her watch. "Well, if the train arrives at Wirrawee on schedule, we'll be there in an hour."

"Good." Shaggy said, to all of our surprise.

"Wait, you want to get there?" Fred said incredulously.

"Like, yeah. First of all, me and Scooby are starving, and no way are we going out there."

"The man jumped off the train," I said.

"Like, that's what he wants us to think!" Shaggy cried.

"Rexactly!" Scooby agreed.

"And secondly, that guy has some questions to answer. If the train was going to fraught with peril, couldn't he have told us first?" Shaggy said, irritated.

"He couldn't have known," I said automactially, arguing just for the fun of the arguement. Inside, I was silently agreeing with Shaggy: Mr. Estrada had some explaining to do, and there was no way I was going anywhere until he coughed up whatever he'd been hiding from us.

_**PS: Just a note for everyone: I changed this story to T. Nothing bad happens, but I'm kind of unsure about the ratings. Plus, I wasn't sure if Daphne nearly been blown up or whatever counts as Teen. Anyway, if you think it's okay as Kid, or is good as Teen, please let me know!**_


	6. Bad News & Bad Ideas

_**Whoa. That was intense! And we've got a suspect - for a mystery we haven't even begun to solve. What did that man have in connection with Leroy Floyd? And why were they searching for Melody Sandoval's necklace? And what was up with that Stuart kid (it seemed like Fred didn't like him AT ALL). Hmm… interesting stuff, right?**_

_**Also, I'm not sure if you noticed, but I changed a few things about my story. First, I changed the chapter titles. Tell me what you think! And secondly, I also changed the rating. Don't worry; nothing bad is going to happen, it's just that I wasn't sure if almost getting shot and then beating a guy with a shoe bumps it up to a teen rating or not. I don't really know, tell me what you think! And also, I've already said this, but I'm going to say it again: give me your honest feedback! If my story is terrible, and all I get is "Ooh, this is so good! Your amazing, blah, blah, blah!" it won't help me at all. I mean, if I really am that good, don't lie, but there is always something that can be improved. Tell me what you think should happen, what you think of the clues… I want this story to be very in-sync with my readers. **_

_**Also, another note: Chilli555 said that they thought that the whole gun thing probably wouldn't happen in a Scooby Doo movie, and I totally agree and would like to thank them for pointing this out. In a real one, they would just get chased around the train by a dude in a Halloween costume, and that's the height of danger. The most danger they've ever been in is when the whole world was almost ruined by Sarah Ravencraft's ghost, or when they were nearly blown up by Principal Deedle, or when they all were nearly killed by the Tar Monster. Not exactly threatening stuff. It's just that I've always watched them and imagined ways that they could be more dramatic: for example, during Scooby Doo 2! Monsters Unleashed, I was thinking, "What if Daphne got taken hostage and the masked weirdo tried to get them to give back the control panel by threatening to kill her?". What I'm saying is, I bumped the drama from a seven to a nine. Just thought I'd let you know. Anyway, here's chapter six!**_

**Chapter Six:**

**Bad News and Bad Ideas**

The train arrived at Wirrawee only three minutes late, which doesn't even count as late. In a way, it made the whole near-death experience seem less real and more distant, as if we'd left it alone and forlorn on the train track. Though, I'd probably always remember how I totally whipped that guy's butt with my shoe. That'd show people who think I'm clumsy.

As we pulled up to the station, I scanned the crowd for someone who looked like Mr. Estrada, which was actually really stupid, since I hadn't even seen him. He could be any person at that station. He could be the workaholic using an iPad on the bench, or the man with the beard and the turban. Heck, he could be the hobo sleeping under the shelter of the ticket booths for all I knew.

But, just from the tone of his letter, I had this image of him that was impossible to shake from my head. That was me; after reading something, I formed a concrete image of the author. I'd imagined Mr. Estrada as an old yet strong man, with gray hair and kind eyes. Possibly a British accent, or maybe Indian. Anyway, the point was that if Mr. Estrada didn't look I expected him too, I'd be disappointed. But, of course that wouldn't happen since I'm always right about this kind of stuff.

I was concentrating so hard on finding Mr. Estrada that as I got off I stumbled and would have fallen, except that I grabbed onto someone's arm. At first, I thought it was Fred, which would have been totally ironic and awkward. But it wasn't. It was a cute, tan, blonde boy who looked like he belonged on a volleyball court on a sunny beach.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry," I apologized, standing up and jerking my hand back.

The boy smiled. My heart didn't skip a beat, like it did with Fred, but it picked up its pace a little. "It's fine, don't worry."

From the corner of my eye, I could feel Fred staring - or glaring - at me, and I knew I had to go. "Well, I've got to go. My friends are waiting."

The boy glanced up. I got the feeling the only one he was looking at was Fred. "Oh. Yeah, you do. Well, I'll see you around, I guess."

I smiled. "Yeah. I'm Daphne Blake." I held out my hand to shake.

The boy smiled slowly as he shook my hand. "I'm Rickey. Rickey Wise." he nodded. "See you later."

I waved a little and walked away, smiling and blushing. I got the feeling that he was watching me going. Of course, I tripped a little as I hurried over to the gang, though, thank God, I didn't fall. I don't need to get saved by another cute boy.

"Who was that?" Fred asked, hard voice. I bit my lip to hide my smile; Fred was so obviously jealous, which was really exciting and made me want to go flirt with another guy just so I could get more proof that he maybe liked me still. Of course, he could just be unused to me liking someone else, which was perfectly possible. I sighed to myself.

"Oh, it was just some boy," I said casually. Didn't want to give Fred too much information.

"Huh." Fred was not impressed. "Let's go find Mr. Estrada." He marched off. Shaggy and Scooby exchanged a look as they followed Fred. I sighed - aloud this time - and ran after them. As we walked, Velma nudged me and gave me a look that said, _Ooh, Daphne's got a boyfriend._ I glanced around, panicked.

"Don't give me that look, Velma," I hissed as we tried to stay with the guys. "I'll talk to you later." Velma nodded, obviously excited.

"I wonder what this Mr. Estrada guy is going to look like," Velma said.

"Like, hopefully he looks hungry, because I know I sure am," Shaggy grumbled.

"Shocking," I teased. He stuck his tongue out at me, and I laughed. I loved my friendship with Shaggy, simply because it was so easy. He was guy who I wasn't attracted to, and I was a girl he wasn't attracted to. Put one and one together, and you've got a perfect relationship with a guy who you definitely do _not_ want to date.

As we looked through the crowd, Fred suddenly called, "I think he's coming." I looked toward where Fred was looking, but I couldn't see anyone who paticurlary looked like Mr. Estrada. There was one guy coming towards us, but there was no way he could be Mr. Estrada. He walked with a cane and his hair was a sickly yellow color. His face was wrinkled and sagged. His clothes were like my Great-Uncle Shane's version of nice clothes. There was no way -

And yet, the cane-man walked straight up to us, smiling like we were his long-lost grandchildren. "Mystery Incorporated!" He cried joyously. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lonnie Estrada."

"Hi, sir." Fred said. "I'm Fred Jones, and this is Daphne Blake, Vel -"

"Oh, don't bother, Frederick. I already know who you all are," Mr. Estrada assured us. "I follow your line of work - I have to say, it is certaintly admirable!"

"Oh, thank you, um, sir," I smiled hesitantly.

"Why, you welcome, Miss Blake. I have to say, you are quite the charming young lady!" he shook my hand, grinning. I was used to old people calling me charming, so I just smiled.

"I've got a car parked out front. We can talk as we walk." He snapped his fingers, and a tall, balding man in a butler's uniform stepped forward. "Children, this is my butler, Franklin Colon. Colon, would you take the bags?"

Mr. Colon nodded and took our stuff. I felt kind of guilty, because we'd brought a lot of stuff and he was just one man, but I figured that Mr. Colon was trained for it. He probably went to butler college or something.

"So, you decided to take the case?" Mr. Estrada said as we walked through the station.

"Like, I had no say, but yes, 'we' decided to take your case," Shaggy said, pretending to be annoyed. I don't think I ever remember Shaggy getting seriously mad at someone - well, except at Scooby one time, but he'd been sick_. Love_sick.

"Yes, I've heard of your caution toward danger, Norville," Mr. Estrada said amicably. I smiled to myself. _Norville_.

"But don't worry," Mr. Estrada continued. "Caution is a good thing. You're going to need it for this case. It is the most dangerous one you've yet to face."

"We'll solve it, don't worry," Velma said confidently.

"Yes, I'm sure you will, Miss Dinkley," Mr. Estrada chuckled, for some reason. Probably some old person joke. "You've never failed your clients in the past, and I'm sure I'm not an exception. Oh, look, here comes Gill with the car."

"Whoa," Fred murmured as the vehicle we would be riding in drove up. "Mr. Estrada, you said _car."_

"Car is a relative term, Frederick," Mr. Estrada said carelessly as Colon opened the door to the _limo_. Let me repeat that. _Li-mo_. I mean, I've seen my parents ride in limos before - actually all the time - but I've only actually been in one once. It had been really ugly and the driver crashed the limo into the school. Which was really funny, looking back on it, but really scary when it was happening.

"This is so cool," I breathed as I crawled in. The inside of the car was even cooler than the outside. There were leather seats (I love leather seats, have I mentioned that?) and an adorable mini fridge and there was even a TV. It was playing some football movie. Ugh. I don't dislike football - actually, I love watching our high school football games, but that's probably partly because Fred's on the team. It's just super hard to understand. Fred had tried to explain to me once, but it had been so confusing that I'd ended up kissing him just to shut him up. It sure did work, too. It's too bad I can't do that anymore.

I sat down and opened the fridge. It was mostly wine - but I found a can of lemonade, which was good, because I was really dying of thirst by this point. Getting attacked by a crazy phsycopath with a gun does that to a girl.

"So, Mr Estrada," I said as we started moving. "I was just wondering what case we would be solving, exactly. You never told us."

"Oh, of course!" Mr Estrada exclaimed. "I'm terribly sorry, I was just so excited to meet you all. You see... well, I guess I should start at the beginning. Six months ago, I recieved a letter from a mysterious writer. They told me that I was going to pay for what my parents did to them and that I should prepare to die."

"Zoinks!" Shaggy whispered.

"Exactly how I felt, Norville. Well, I assumed it was just some silly prank. Just the other day, I'd recieved a letter from Leon Alvarado telling me that my Victoria's Secret order had arrived, whatever that means." Me and Velma both broke out into giggles.

"Sorry," Velma managed to say in between laughs. "Continue."

Mr. Estrada frowned to himself, but said nothing. "Well, I paid no attention. Then I recieved another letter, telling me that if I didn't leave my home now, the people around me would suffer. I was concerned, but I still thought it was nothing. Then Audrey Greer was killed."

I choked on my lemonade. "What?" I _knew_ Audrey Greer.

"No one knows who did it. Her mother swears she had seen this vampire hanging out around her house the night before Audrey died, but no one believed her, obviously. The next moring, Audrey's brother Gregg found her dead in her room." Mr. Estrada said solomnly. I shuddered.

"We're sorry," Fred said quietly.

"Oh, God," I whispered, unable to think of anything else. Audrey had been my really good friend in preschool, apparently. I don't really remember her all that well, but I do have a few clear memories of me and her playing tag outside. Whenever my mom talks about me when I was little, Audrey Greer always got pulled into the conversation. I didn't know her well, but still: I'd known Audrey and now she was dead. This day pretty much sucked.

"It was absolutely horrible," Mr Estrada said, sniffling. "Even then, though, I convinced myself it was just a concidence. But just six weeks ago, Bob Padilla, a young man who was leaving for college next week, was out driving with Darin Simon, and Karla and Jody Waters, when he crashed the car. He and Jody were killed, and poor Karla is in a wheelchair now. She and Darin are certain that a pale-as-a-sheet man ran out in front of the car and just stood there, and Darin says that he saw the person walk away unscathed. But even then, I convinced myself everything was okay. Then I recieved a third note, which told me that if I didn't leave, more people would die. Then I couldn't ignore it any Incorporated, I'm terrified. If I stay here any longer, someone else is going to die. But I can't uproot my three grand-daughters - I'm their only family. The eldest is in her senior year of high school and in honors - I can't make her leave. And the youngest is weak and sickly and I doubt she has the strength to leave."

"We'll solve the case, Mr. Estrada." Velma said seriously. "Don't worry."

"Now that you kids are here, I'm not worried," Mr. Estrada smiled shakily. "Oh, look! There's my house!" He pointed out the window.

Even in the lousy mood I was in, I was impressed. _House_ didn't even begin to describe Mr. Estrada's home. It was a castle. It looked like it came straight out of Camelot. I'm serious; it was made of gray, dark stone and had towers and everything. Beautiful gardens surrounded it, and as we drove through the gate I felt like I was driving into a land of fairies or something.

When the limo pulled up to the front door. Gill opened the door and waited for us to get out of the car, the Mr. Colon grabbed our bags, which I was kind of relieved about, since I didn't think I had the strength to carry my bag right now (I do not _pack _light).

"Follow me," Mr. Estrada called as he hobbled up the steps and through the front door. We followed silently, each of us wrapped in our own thoughts - probably about those kids that died. Audrey and Bob and Jody.

The inside of his house was exactly what I pictured it to be: grand, dreary, and full of old paintings and weird sculptures. The foyer was filled with dusty, dull furniture. There were two sets of stairs which both led up to a second floor (duh) with a little overlook. Two hallways led to the left and right of the foyer, and there were a few doors by the stairs, too. This was the kind of house that I only saw when we snuck into it, following a ghost or something along those lines.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" Mr. Estrada said. I frowned. Just five minutes ago he was on the verge of tears because of Audrey and Bob and Jody, and now he was beaming about his furniture. Weird. "Girls! I'm here with Mystery Inc!"

"Coming," a girl's voice called back, and footsteps came from one of the hallways. Then three girls hurried through the door. I think we all gasped. Because one of them was none other than Doris Fitzgerald, Shaggy's girlfriend.

"Doris!" I exclaimed.

"Doris!" Shaggy cried joyfully.

"OMG, Shaggy!" Doris squealed.

"Doris," Velma grumbled. I shot a glance at her. What was with her?

Mr. Estrada glanced from us to Doris. "How do you know my grand-daughter?"

"Shaggy's my boyfriend, Grampa!" Doris said, giggling. Okay, I could see Velma's point. She was a bit over-the-top-dumb-blonde.

"Oh." Mr. Estrada considered, then smiled. "Well, isn't that nice? That will make Shaggy's stay here even more comfortable!"

"Wait," Fred said. "His stay? As in we're staying here?"

"Well, I thought, if it took you a while to complete the mystery, you might want to stay here. We have spare rooms. And Coolsville doesn't have school next week."

"Oh, right," Velma realized. "It's the Great Coolsville Flood week." Every year, during September, we had a week off in honor of the Coolsville flood. Tons of people died in it - we should know. We almost had our faces eaten by a couple of them. Anyway, the point was that if wanted to, we could stay up in Wirrawee until next Sunday.

"At the very least, we can stay for the weekend," I said reluctantly.

"Good." Mr. Estrada grinned. "Let the mystery begin!"

I had no idea why he was smiling. I felt horrible. And worst of all, I was going to spend the weekend and probably most of next week in this town where people were dropping like flies, and we had to stick our noses right into the middle of it all and hope that our noses didn't get lobbed off.

For once, I agreed with Shaggy. This was a bad idea.


	7. Laughter & Late Night Clues

_**So, we've met the mysterious Mr. Estrada, haven't we? Nothing like we expected. Just an ugly old man with a cane. And the actual mystery isn't exactly what we thought, is it? Much more serious, and a whole lot more pressure is piled onto the gang. On a more positive note, we've met Rickey Wise, who is pretty much the guy every girl dreams about - besides Fred, of course. Is Daphne actually going to recover from her relationship and move on? Or is she still stuck on Fred? You'll have to read to find out.**_

_**I know I say this every time, but people - please comment! So far, I've written six chapters and gotten eighteen comments. That's three comments per chapter, and that's lovely, but I need interaction! Give me an honest review of my story, and I will be a happy girl.**_

_**Okay, prepare to go crazy: here's chapter seven (psst: seven is a lucky number)!**_

_***A Note to All Authors*: Just a word of advice that comes from experience: when you are writing a story, save often. My computer was being stupid when I was writing this, so I had to restart it like a billion times. **_

**Chapter Seven:**

**Laughter and Late-Night Clues**

I really wanted to have a group meeting with the gang. After all, we'd had a scary and sad and confusing day, and I wanted to talk to someone about. But it just worked out that we didn't get the chance. Shaggy disappeared the first chance he got with Doris. They played smooshy-face all day long. How do I know? I was _lucky_ (as in, completely unlucky) enough to stumble upon them in the garden. Fun - not.

As soon as we'd unpacked, Velma announced that she was going to go read. I took the hint. When Velma says something like that at a time like this, it means they want to be left alone, which is completely unlike me. When I'm scared, confused, or sad, I need someone to talk to.

So, that's why I went to go find Fred. Fred was one of those people who you can really talk to. I mean, I haven't talked to Fred since the whole _breaking-up-because-dating-nearly-got-us-all-killed_ thing. But he hadn't changed, and I hadn't changed. It was just the relationship, although I can at least say for myself that my feelings hadn't changed.

I knew where Fred's room was, but as I rounded the corner, I heard Fred laughing with some girl with a really annoying, nasaly giggle. I poked my head around and felt sick to my stomach when I saw Fred laughing with Doris's older sister Glenda, the pretty senior. _I_ was the one who made Fred laugh, and that feeling that I got when I did was one of the most powerful things in the world. It was also something that I didn't want to share with a senior, a pretty, blonde senior.

And that was how I ended up taking Scooby Doo for a walk. Well, not really _taking_ him for a walk, since Scooby Doo is less like a dog and more like a human in a dog-suit. At first, we just walked around the garden. But that was when we walked in on Shaggy and Doris's little make-out session. That wasn't exactly something I wanted to interrupt, so we ended up leaving Mr. Estrada's manor through the big stone gates and walking down the street.

I didn't really have a destination in mind until I saw a quaint little rose-arbor over a path that lead off into the woods at the side of the road. Now, most people wouldn't even dream of venturing into the woods after hearing about Audrey and Bob and Jody's deaths. But I walked down that path without hesitating. Maybe something about the roses that tangled with the arbor just pulled me forward.

Once I went down the path, though, I was glad I did. The woods seemed to teem with life. The birds chirped and the leaves rustled in the very non-threatening way and a river someplace babbled a pretty little tune and the sun shone through the trees like Mother Nature's very own stained glass window. Me and Scooby didn't feel the need to talk - it was too peaceful to ruin, anyway.

And then we came upon a beautifully built wooden bridge that arched strongly over that river that I'd heard, and I leaned on the railing and watched the water swoosh by.

"Scooby, can you keep a secret?" I asked after a moment. I was thinking about Fred.

"Rokay," Scooby agreed. He put his front paws up on the railing and peered down at the pretty water.

"You can't tell Shaggy," I warned him. That was the only person I thought Scooby might tell, and Shaggy can't keep a secret to save his life.

"Rhy not?" he asked, tiliting his head.

"Well, because it's a secret." I explained.

"Roh. Right." Scooby nodded.

"You see, I still kind of like Fred," I said, brushing a leaf that was resting on a railing into the water. It floated like a tiny little boat.

"You rike Red?" Scooby cried.

"Shh!" I said out of habit. There was no one to hear us in these woods. "Yeah, I kind of do."

"Rind rof?" Scooby said.

"Well, maybe a little bit more. But I think he likes Glenda, Doris's older sister." I sighed. "I suppose you don't have any advice, do you?"

"Ruh-uh." Scooby said sadly. "Rhat rabout Roris?"

I frowned. "What about her?"

"Rell, rhat ro I ro rabout her?"

"Oh, you mean you don't want to her to spend time with Shaggy, since he's you best friend and all," I said, suddenly understanding.

"Rep." Scooby sighed.

"Well, it is Shaggy's first girlfriend. It's going to take him a while before he finally learns how to juggle Doris and the rest of his life. Don't worry."

And that was the best group meeting I got all day. I stayed out with Scooby longer than I expected, and when we got back, Glenda told us that Mr. Estrada was having a welcome feast. I did my best to be polite to her. It wasn't her fault that she got drawn in by Fred's natural charm and attractivness. Happens all the time to me.

I hurried into my room, and as I was looking through my suitcase for something nice to wear, I found a reason we couldn't stay: we only had enough clothes for today and tomorrow. Even though I was annoyed, I was a little relieved. This town and it's sad stories freaked me out.

Eventually, I declared myself presentable (I just pulled my hair back and traded my jeans for a white skirt) and hurried downstairs. For about five seconds, I was afraid that I was late and would end up right across from Glenda and Fred. But Glenda, Shaggy, and Doris still hadn't come down, and so I quickly took a seat right next to Fred.

But then, of course, it backfired. Shaggy and Doris sat across from me, and guess who sat down on my other side. That's right, Glenda Fitzgerald. Gee, I bet tonight's going to be _fun_.

Once everyone had sat down, Mr. Estrada grinned and stood up unsteadily. "I'd like to make a speech before we begin to eat."

I glanced around. Who was he making a speech _to_? It was only us, Glenda, Doris, and Patty, Doris's twelve year old sister. Not much of a crowd.

"Mystery Inc, I would like to once again express my gratitude for you coming here to try to find the criminal mind behind the deaths of Audrey Greer, Bob Padilla, and Jody Waters. It means a lot to me and the townspeople of Wirrawee. Me and my family wish you the best of luck. Now, dig in!" With that, Mr. Estrada rang a little bell I hadn't seen before. Waiters rushed out of the kitchen and placed bowls of soup in front of us. Looked like we'd be having a three course meal, which I actually had most of the time, but still. I remember once Fred had invited me to dinner with his dad and his sister Amanda. And even though his dad is the mayor, we had hamburgers and hotdogs. For dessert: ice cream at the local ice cream parlor. It was one of the best meals of my life, because it was so simple and... American. Anyway, the point is that right then, I was longing for Mayor Jones's hamburgers.

I sighed and stirred my spoon around in my soup, watching everyone else. Shaggy was alternating between blowing on his soup like his life depended on it and winking devilishly at Doris, who was giggling and batting her eyelashes at him. Scooby Doo - yes, Scooby sat at the table, too - didn't even bother to blow. He just lapped it up, freaked out because it was so hot, chugged down some water, then repeated the process. Velma, who was sitting next to Patty, was stirring her soup around absent-mindedly as she discussed books with Patty. Fred was watching Mr. Estrada talk about something with one of the waiters. As I looked at him, I felt a pang: why did I have to be an idiot and say "_Let's all be just friends_"?

Glenda was watching Fred intently. After a moment, she said, "So, Fred, you got a girlfriend?"

Oh. My. God. She just totally went too far. I officially hated this girl.

Fred blinked. "Um..." He hesitated, then glanced at me. I knew he was waiting for me to tell him what to say.

I could say yes. I could say yes so easily, and let Glenda be disappointed. And then maybe me and Fred could make that a true statement. I wanted to say yes so badly. I was straining to hear the yes that my lips could say. Just say yes, part of my brain said, the part of my brain that ate way too much chocolate and refused to help my mom with invitations and wanted so bad just to reach over and kiss Fred.

But, if Fred really like this girl... if Fred was just feeling awkward with me right in between them... if Fred wanted me to say no, I would say no, right? Because that's what you do when you love someone enough: you let them go. Even if it hurts you, even if it _kills_ you, you let them go.

I sighed. "Nope. Fred's single as ever." Fred's face fell ever so slightly, but that was probably wishful thinking. I stirred my soup morosely.

Glenda caught my tone and glanced at me sharply. "Did you used to date?"

Well, wasn't _she _the queen of awkward questions. "Um, well, yes. But we broke up last summer."

"Why?" Glenda asked. I gripped my spoon tighter to keep myself from slapping that girl. Did she ever stop?

"Occupational hazards," Fred explained.

"Oh." That probably wasn't the answer Glenda was looking for. I think she wanted something along the lines of _w__e decided we hated each other, _so she'd have a clearer shot at Fred. "And you're still friends?"

"Well, obviously." Fred said. Apparently he's not the only one getting sick of this conversation.

"Isn't it awkward?" Glenda asked bluntly.

"No comment," I muttered, staring into my soup. In about five seconds I was going to scream.

"Excuse me?" Glenda asked, sounding shocked that someone like me stood up to someone like her. Not that I think she's better than me, I just think she thinks that.

Now she'd gone too far. I took a deep breath, glanced up at her, and blinked innocently. "Well, that's what people say during interviews when they don't want to answer a question, isn't it? And this is feeling a lot like an interview, and I don't want to answer that question. It's very personal, and no offense, Glenda, but it's kind of rude. I mean, you don't go around asking questions about someone's personal love life, especially if you haven't met them before. Now, excuse me, but I'm going to enjoy whatever kind of soup this is while it's still hot." I flipped my hair over my shoulder so I couldn't see Glenda's reaction, and so I could hypervenilate. What had I just _done_?

Beside me, Fred was stuggling not to laugh. I held my head a little higher, proud. I'd just totally killed two birds with one stone: I'd made Fred laugh, and I'd pretty much just told Glenda to back off.

Luckily, Mr. Estrada hadn't noticed my little rant, and it didn't appear anyone else did. Good. I didn't want to get kicked out of this house just because of a girl like Glenda Fitzgerald.

After figuring out that the soup was caesar salad soup (yeah, try to make sense of that), the main course came. Smoked salmon with a side of fruit. Yum. Actually, it was really good, except I was too busy enjoying Glenda's silent outrage and Fred's not-so-silent amusement to really taste it. Nothing really interesting happened until dessert, and then it got really interesting.

I was busy enjoying my chocolate lava cake (which is pretty much the best food ever invented) when the lights went out. Okay, that was a little freaky. My spoon had been halfway to my mouth, but now I lowered it, in case I missed my mouth in the dark and ended up with chocolate smeared all over my face.

"Well, that's curious," Mr. Estrada murmured. I bet, even in the dark, he was still smiling. "The power must have gone out. I'll just -"

Suddenly, the creepiest thing happened. The candles in the middle of the table, which had previously had been just sitting there, suddenly caught flame. I gripped Fred's arm. Doris squealed. Glenda was still sulking, but I bet if I hadn't totally crushed her mean little spirit she would have been clutching Fred... kind of like I was, except that I had done it out of habit and because Fred was there and I needed to hold onto something otherwise feel comletely lost in the almost dark. Glenda would have done it just to touch him.

"What's going on, Grampa?" Patty whimpered.

"I don't know, darling." Mr. Estrada said nervously.

"Maybe someone should check the -" Fred started to suggest something, but he never finished, because out of nowhere a scrap of paper fluttered onto to the table. No one moved.

After a moment, I shakily reached across the table and gently lifted up the paper. My hand never left Fred's arm, so I could feel the way his muscles tensed when I reached across, and the way they relaxed when I sat back down. I scolded myself silently - thinking about boys at a time like this was absolutely preposterous - and one-handedly opened the paper. I could just make out the words in the candlelight, which were written in gorgeous caligraphy that made me jealous. Quietly, I read:

_So, Mystery Inc has come at last, to play my game. I doubt you will survive, but humor me: try to prove me wrong. Maybe I'll give you hints, though they'll be useless in the end: you, like all the others who have angered me, will be helpless in my power. I hope you're ready to face me. Just a clue to get you started: _the one who has lost the most will help you gain the most_. Good luck._

There was no signature. I placed the paper face-down on the table, trembling. And just like that, the lights came back on. Everyone looked either completely terrified or completely confused. I didn't even want to think about what I looked like.

"Looks like we've already been noticed by the creep," Velma said softly.

"And we've already got our first clue," Fred said seriously.

Shaggy groaned. "Like, yippee."


	8. Karla & a Killer

_**Things are getting quite interesting at the Estrada place. Firstly, we have discovered that Shaggy and Doris are much farther in their relationship than we would have guessed. Oooh! And Velma doesn't seem to particularly like Doris, either. Is there a scrap of Shelma left in her? And also: does Glenda have a thing for Fred? Yes. That is obvious. But has Daphne made a dent in Glenda's self-esteem, and will she back off Fred? The note: who wrote it, and what does it mean? All this will be explained eventually. Just keep reading.**_

_**I don't really want to repeat my whole comment speech, but nothing makes me happier than a new review posted on my story, which I put lots of love and sweat into (well, virtual sweat. I'm not yucky). So, comment please.**_

_**All right, here's chapter eight. Enjoy!**_

**Chapter Eight**

**Karla and a Killer**

You may have noticed, but I really do not like Glenda. She's not someone to be liked. She's nosy, careless, annoying, Fred-stealing, ect.

And after that creepy note arrived and the lights turned on, I was able to add _stupid_ to that impressive list. Because the first thing she said was, "Who sent it?" Idiot. It was all I could do to keep from grabbing her head and shaking it. Maybe that would knock the few brain cells she has into their proper place.

"We don't know, Glenda," Velma said slowly, in a tone that she uses with her super annoying, super dumb six-year-old cousin Gene. "That's why it's scary."

Glenda glared at her, and probably would have said something along the lines of, _Don't give me sass like that, Dinkley,_ except that Fred said quickly, "I wish I'd checked the light switch before the lights went out. I wanted to see if someone had switched off the light on purpose."

"Hmm, yeah," I said absent-mindedly. I was going over the event again in made, tracing over its every detail until it was chrystal clear. Nothing popped out at me as majorly or even minorly suspicious. Drat.

The little sister, Patty, was chewing on her lip. She was a pretty little thing, very quiet and very sweet. Suddenly, she gasped and stood up, eyes shining with excitement. "I bet I know who the note was talking about!"

"Who?" About five people said at the same time. I only know Fred was one of them, partially because he was sitting right next to me and partially because I know his voice so well. If a hundred people had been talking at the same time, I would be able to pick out Fred's voice easy.

"_The one who has lost the most will help you gain the most_? It has to be Karla Waters." Patty's smile dimmed a bit. "She lost her sister, her boyfriend, and the use of her legs in that car crash."

"Her boyfriend?" Fred asked.

"She was dating Bob Padilla. I hear he'd been getting ready to propose to her," Glenda said, barely glancing at me.

I shuddered. Imagine losing Fred and Daisy in one day... "That's horrible."

"Well, we should go talk to her," Velma said. "Good job, Patty!" Patty beamed.

"Like, that's great and all," Shaggy said, in his usual _I-don't-care-what-you-guys-are-talking-about _way. "Can we just finnish dessert?"

"Of course, Shaggy-waggy," Doris said in that voice people use when they're talking to babies and dogs. I was also a bit annoyed that Doris was suddenly making our desicions. Sure, we would have probably said the same thing, but still. It wasn't the same thing.

"We'll go tomorrow," Velma said, glancing at Doris in a not-at-all nice way. Looks like I wasn't the only one who thought Doris was completely brainless - but at least she was a nice brainless.

"In that case, I suggest you all get a good night's sleep," Mr. Estrada said. He was smiling again. "You've got a big day tomorrow."

I raised my eyebrows. Big day? We were just going to interview a girl in a wheelchair, and no offense, but it's not that big deal. I shook my head and stood up. This entire family was whack.

* * *

We were at 23 Ballard Avenue at eleven o'clock the next day. Mr. Estrada's driver, Gill, had driven us there in the limo. When we got out, to be polite, I said, "Thanks, Gill."

Gill hadn't been really paying attention, but now his eyes snapped towards me. I hadn't seen him very close up before, but now I noticed that Gill was young, maybe a little older than me. "Gill's my last name," he grumbled. "My name is Herbert."

"Oh." Apparently, Mr. Estrada called people by their last name. Okay. "Well, thank you, Herbert."

Herbert just grunted and got in the car and drove away. Realizing that the rest of the gang was already at the door, I ran after them.

They were talking to a tired looking woman with strawberry-blonde hair. I hurried up behind Shaggy and struggled to see over his shoulder. Fred was saying, "Ma'am, please, let us just talk to her. It's very -"

"No, you don't have to," snapped the woman. "That's what all the reporters said, and Karla can't take it anymore. She's lost everything. We've lost everyhing," the woman ended with a sob. This was obviously Karla's mom.

"Ma'am, we're not reporters," Velma said patiently.

The woman, sniffling, peered closely at Velma, then studied each of us. "Well, then who are you?" She sounded afraid.

I stepped past Shaggy. I was usually good at getting what I want. I gestured to the gang. "We're Mystery Incorporated from Coolsville. We were called down here by Lonnie Estrada to see if we could figure out what's going on."

"Wait - Mystery Inc?" The woman said, suddenly realizing what I'd said. "Those teenagers who go around solving mysteries with ghosts and things like that?"

"Well, yeah. That's us. Anyway, we got a note last night that told us that we needed to talk to the one - um, Karla. It told us to talk to Karla, because apparently she knew something." I remembered last minute not to bring up Karla's losses. "And ma'am, I'm very sorry about Jody." I put my hand on her arm, silently asking whoever was listening to let the poor woman please understand that I meant what I said.

The woman sneezed and hesitated. Finally, she said, "Come take a seat. I'll go get Karla; she's in her room." She lead us into a cozy, simple living room. Shaggy almost leapt into the rocking chair, and Velma - sometimes I really hate that girl - sat down in the only other chair. That left me and Fred to sit on the love seat. I'm sure Velma planned that, and I'm also sure that I have the absolute worst luck in the world. Well, besides Karla. I pulled myself as far away from Fred as possible without it looking like that was the intention.

After a moment, I heard the unmistakable sound of wheels on linoluem, and then a short girl with pretty Mexican features was wheeled into the living room by Mrs. Waters. And what broke my heart was that she was smiling the way you smile when you don't really want to, but you have to.

"Hey," Karla said softly. "I'm Karla."

"Hi." I smiled a little, but not enough to look stupid. "I'm Daphne, and this is -"

"It's okay," Karla said, laughing a little. "I know who are. What you guys do is pretty cool here in little ol'Wirrawee."

Shaggy grinned. "So, then you must know Scooby Doo?" Scooby Doo wagged his tail and trotted up to Karla and licked her face. I smiled - a real smile this time. And Karla laughed a real laugh.

"Yes, I know Scooby Doo." She giggled as she pushed Scooby off of her. "I've always wanted a dog just like Scooby. It's so cool to meet you guys. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well -" Fred began, but was cut off by Karla.

"Hold on." She smiled apologetically and glanced over her shoulder at her mom. "Pam, I think I'm good. You can go know." Mrs. Waters looked like she was about to object, then caught herself and slipped away. Karla grimaced.

"That's what's really annoying about this whole mess. I never have a decent arguement with anyone anymore. I wanted to be a lawyer until I was, like, twelve." Karla sighed.

"You don't look very much alike," Velma observed.

"Oh, that's because my sister's adopted." Karla explained.

"Your _sister_?" I couldn't keep the shock out of my voice.

"Well, she's twenty-eight, but yeah. She used to be prettier before the, um, incident." Karla blinked several times, trying to hold back tears. "Anyway, what did you guys want to talk about?"

"Well, it kind of has to do with the... incident," Fred said awkwardly.

"I kind of figured that one out on my own," Karla said sarcastically. "What exactly about it?"

I took a deep breath. "Last night, we got this letter from someone. We don't know who exactly, but they said that we should talk to the person who has lost the most."

Karla's breath whooshed out of her, like when you step on an open balloon. "Well, that's got to be me," she said flatly.

"And... that's all. We were hoping you knew what it meant." Velma said.

Karla shrugged. "I wish I knew. Then maybe we'd figure out who the creep was that me and Darin saw."

I glanced at the gang, unsure of what to do. "Well... maybe we could just ask you, like, basic questions about people and the situation. Maybe we'll find something that way. Did anyone you know have anything against you, Darin, Jody, or Bob?"

Instead of looking thoughtful, like I expected her to, Karla looked like I'd slapped her. "Please," she begged. "_Please_ can we not talk about Bob?"

Velma was torn. "Well, if we want to solve the mystery -"

"No, Velma, it's okay." I interruped quickly. "We don't have to talk about him." I don't think Velma felt any less sorry for her than I did. I just know that if Fred died, that would be unimaginable. I can't imagine living through that. "Do you know of anyone who had a problem with any of you."

Karla shook her head slowly, still a bit stunned from my question about Bob. "I don't think so. We were all really good friends, and although Darin was a bit of a trouble maker, I don't think anyone really hated him enough to, you know, try to kill him."

"You were all, like, happy and stuff?" I asked.

"Yes!" Karla cried. "Honestly, I remember thinking while we were on the drive, _Wow, my life is perfect_. Then it wasn't, and I don't know what to do anymore."

It was quiet for a moment. I think we were all thinking pretty much the same thing. I know what I was thinking: comparing the biggest tragedy of my life, when Dawn died. It didn't seem half as bad compared to Karla's sadness.

"Like, Karla..." Shaggy began hesitantly. "Do you think you could tell us what happened? Like, during the car crash?"

I panicked and glanced at Karla. Her breathing quickened, her face paled. After an agonizingly long moment, she said, "I-I guess." She swallowed. "Well, me and Jody and Darin and... and Bob were going to Neil Schwartz's house for a party. I had on my really pretty blue dress, and I was all excited. And... we were on the road, and we were talking... about this really annoying girl that was going to be there, Juanita McBride, I think. And then, out of nowhere, this thing was wall in front us. And Bob tried to get out of the way, and he did, and then we crashed head-on into a truck and then everything was chaos and I hit my head on something and that's all I remember." Karla took a ragged breath. "Next thing I know, I'm in the hospital, and the world poulation was seven billion minus two." And then she burst into tears.

I half-expected Pam to run into the room, drawn by Karla's sobs, but she didn't. None of us said anything, just let Karla cry. She had the right to cry. She'd earned it the hard way. She rested her head in her arms and weeped.

After a while, when Karla had calmed down, I impulsively walked over and crouched by her chair. "Karla? I've never had a boyfriend die -"

"He was so much more than a _boyfriend_!" Karla's voice whipped out harshly and brokenly from her short black hair.

I continued quietly, "And I guess I'm a little better at sports and stuff, but not by much, since I'm pretty much the worst athlete there is out there. Like, I'm talking the-one-time-you-get-a-basket-in-basketball-it-is-in-the-wrong-hoop bad." I wasn't sure, but it sounded like she might have laughed a little sadly.

"But I know how you feel about Jody. My sister Dawn died last year," I said, feeling stupid and awkward and at the same time trying to hold back the flood of memories of my modeling sister. If I thought about Dawn too much, I would cry, and this time Fred wouldn't hold me.

Karla sniffled and lifted her head, blinking fuzzily at me. "Really?"

"No, I just made that up. Of course really!" I rolled my eyes, desperately hoping she wouldn't ask any questions.

Karla giggled and sniffed. "I'm sorry."

"I am, too, for both of us. But can you still help us, you know, solve the mystery?"

Karla sighed and raised her head. "It'd be my pleasure," she said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Do you think that Jody and Bob and that other girl who died, Audrey, do you think they were all connected?" I asked.

Karla thought. "Well...Jody and, um, B-bob were both my friends, but I didn't really talk to Audrey. They were all in my social studies class, though... and they all did this really neat project with a couple other kids, that actually helped the police with something or the other."

"What was it on?" Velma asked, her voice quivering with excitement.

"Um, some murderer named Neil Adartse," Karla said, watching Velma warily. "Like, they did the project... I think it was with Mario Parsons and Teri McLaughlin... and some girl Caroline Zimmerman thought she'd seen a man who looked like that and she called the police and then they found it was Neil Adartse. It was a pretty big deal."

"Did he get out of jail?" Fred asked.

"Um... I don't know," Karla admitted. Then she gave Fred another look. "Wait, you guys don't seriously think that he could be, well, you know... killing people?" She gulped.

I looked up at the ceiling, unsure of what to tell Karla. I mean, say you thought your sister and boyfriend died in a car crash. Well, that's bad enough. But say a bunch of random kids whom you didn't even know showed up, and told you your sister and boyfriend died in a car crash that was purposely planned by a phsycomaniac out for vengeance. That's a nice way to break the ice.

Finally, Scooby Doo broke the tension by suddenly jumping up and barking with all his might out the window. I twisted around and saw the limo pull up. I frowned. I guess we'd been gone longer than we had thought.

Velma sighed. "I guess we should go," she said, glancing at Karla for a reaction.

Karla nodded slowly, her face slowly turning red. "Oh, okay. You guys go ahead. I'll be fine."

I glanced at Fred, my face showing all the heartbreak that I was feeling right now for Karla. Fred didn't look so happy, either. But, he stood up and said, "Karla, if we find out anything, we will let you know."

I sighed and un-crouched my legs. "Sorry we have to go so soon." Instintively, I added, "Maybe we could visit again."

To my relief, Karla smiled hesitantly and pushed a strand of hair behind her hair. "Yeah, sure. I'd like that."

So, after saying our good-byes, we left Karla's house and hurried down the stone path toward the limo. I knew that everyone was tense and nervous after what we learned. Just to sum it up:

a): When your sister dies and your sister is suddenly restricted by metal on wheels, it makes you look old.

b): Audrey Greer, Bob Padilla, and Jody Waters were all connected by a murderer whom they managed to put in jail.

c): His name was Niel Adartse, and he was possibly out of jail.

d): He wanted bloodthirsty revenge against the ones who defeated him, and so far he'd achieved it against three innocent people.

e): There were three more people who were possibly in danger of being murdered by a killer who posed as a vampire.

f): For some reason, this vampire attacked Melody Sandoval (she's not smart enough to jail a peanut).

g): We were pretty much the only people who could stop him, and once we intefered, it would also become a race to save our own skins.

Isn't summarization _fun_? Not.


	9. Engagements & Energizing Runs

_**Eeep! It looks like the gang have suspected a suspect: is Neil Adartse seriously out of jail, and hungry to get back at those who 'wronged' him? Or is someone else posing as the vampire? Who knows? Well, I can tell you that Mystery Inc soon will.**_

_**Other than that, I really don't have much news. For those of you who haven't, why don't you check out my profile? I always like to know a little about an author. Just a quick summary of it: I'm twelve, I love life, and this is my first fan-fiction. If you want to know more (loves and hates of life and my quirky quirks) check it out. Also, I just want a whole lot of people to comment. That's all, really.**_

_**Love always,**_

_**Cierra**_

**Chapter Nine:**

**Engagements and Energizing Runs**

The next day, when I woke up, my heart was already beating wildly. I took a few moments to figure out if I was dead. I wasn't. Which is a good thing.

When we'd gotten home from Karla's house, Velma had immediately pulled out her laptop and we all crowded around it, searching for reassurance that it was just a huge coincidence, that all those poor people saw vampires before they died, that Karla was heartbroken and imprisioned at the same time that the Greers recovered from losing Audrey.

Instead, we found the headline _Neil Adartse Disappears from Prison: Police Are Baffled_. My breath had caught. My heart had squeezed.

"Well, we're toast." Shaggy had said to cheer us up. I smacked the back of his head. Even though I was thinking the same thing, I had the ridiculous idea that if you say something, it becomes true. I certaintly did not want to be toast. I didn't even want to be bread.

"This doesn't confirm anything," I'd said optimistically.

"It actually pretty much does," Fred had said, almost apologetically.

We had then decided that the next best course of action would be to figure out where the vampire was going to show up, then catch him. Which would be hard, since he was trained murderer, and we were composed of a nerd-girl, a too perfect boy, a danger-prone romantic and an obsessive-eater and his talking dog.

From what Karla had told us, the targets were anyone in that group who did the project. Mario Parsons and Teri McLaughlin were the only surviving group members. Velma made sure we added Caroline Zimmerman to the list, since she was the one who called the police. Then all we had to do was figure out which person was next in line to cross _over_ the line. As in, who was going to die next.

But we never had time too, since Doris wandered up and starting cooeing of Shaggy, and all of us felt too awkward and completely weirded out to started working without him. Plus, Doris puts Velma in a cranky mood - for what reason, I don't know, but I promised myself I would find out. Then Patty ran up the stairs, all excited and breathless, and she told Velma that some author of science-fiction novels was signing books, and Velma got all excited and breathless, and ran after Patty like a six-year old on Christmas. That left me and Fred, and maybe we would have continued working (in my fantasies, we would have run off into the sunset, which makes no sense, since it was only two in the afternoon) except that Glenda showed up and begged Fred to come and help her decide which dress to wear to some boy's party, and Fred invited me, and I spent the next two hours unenthusiastically oohing and ahhing over heaps of over-accesorized outfits.

After confirming that I was alive and well, I rolled over and glanced at my clock, then stuffed my face into my pillow. It was five-thirty. Wonderful. I then realized it was Monday, and we'd forgotten to call our parents.

"Crap!" I groaned and threw my blankets off of me. Velma, who was asleep in the other bed, blinked sleepily at me.

"What's up with you?" She yawned. "I only get up this early on weekdays."

"Exactly!" I replied frantically without looking at her. "It's Monday, and our parents probably think that we've been decapitated or something!" I slipped my feet into my slippers and wrapped myself in my bathrobe. Running through the house at five-thirty in Sofie shorts and a cami was not something a respectable person does.

Velma leapt out of bed. "Omigod, you're right!" She jumped out of bed, her striped pjs rumpled. I resisted telling her that no one wears button up striped pjamas any more and instead pulled my hair into a messy ponytail and ran out the door. I didn't know where the phone was, but a helpful maid told me it was down in the foyer. I ran down the stairs, grabbed the phone, and dialed my home phone number impatiently. I knew my mother would be up. She was the queen of all early birds.

"Hello?" My mother's voice said. "Daphne, is that you?"

"Hi, Mom! Sorry I didn't call you before, but I forgot, and Mr. Estrada invited us to spend the week at his house. I forgot to tell you - so sorry! There's a mystery in Wirrawee that we're looking into, and I got so caught up that I forgot to tell you!" I stopped to breath.

"Sweetie, I sort of got the gist of that babble. You can stay up there, don't worry. You were always the one to be trusted." Mom assured me. "The only thing is, Daisy just kind of snuck something up on us... well, your sister's engaged!"

"What?" I could barely restrain my shock. "Are you serious?"

"Of course!" Mom sounded insulted. "She meant to tell us, but it slipped her mind -"

"_Slipped her mind_?" How do you forget something like that? If I was getting married, I'd scream it to the mountaintops.

"Well, yes," Mom said distractedly. "Look, sweetie, I have to go. Daisy's fiancee is flying down here to meet us, and your father will be here with him any moment. Love you!" Then my mother hung up.

"Traitor," I muttered under my breath. I should have been used to brother-in-laws. I mean, Dorothy got married when I was eight - and that was the worst one, yet. She'd only been sixteen and she was pregnant, so she and her boyfriend Lloyd French ran away to Georgia and got married. It was the biggest scandal of Blake history - though now, she's Dorothy French. Their son - my nephew - Dana is eight, and their two daughters Cassandra and Marsha are four. Dawn, who was twelve years older than me, got married when I was nine, to some guy named Ricardo Buchanan. Their two sons - Ron and Dwight - are six and five. I liked Ricardo, but I figure in a year or so he'll be getting married to some blonde cheerleader. Even Delilah, who's fourteen years older than me and in the Marine Corps, married her boyfriend Wade Moran six years ago. So, I was used to weddings. I just thought that Daisy would be the one Blake girl who would stay a Blake. Guess I was wrong.

Velma was looking at me strangely. "Are you okay?" I hadn't realized she'd followed me downstairs.

"No." I growled. Then I sighed. "Sorry. I just found out that Daisy is getting married."

"That's great!" Velma exclaimed. I glared at her. "...or it's not great."

I yawned. "No, I guess it's great. It's just that I'm probably not going to see her as much." That was about as optimistic as I was going to go.

Velma nodded. "That's nice."

My eyes widened. "_Nice_?"

"What?" she asked, confused. "Sorry, I'm not completely awake. I'm going back to bed. You coming?"

I shook my head. "There's no way I could fall asleep now. I'm going to go for a run." After quickly fixing my hair and trading my Sofies for sweatpants, I grabbed my sweatshirt and my sneakers and headed out the door.

Once again, I went down the little forest path that me and and Scooby had discovered. It was quiet, and I felt like the whole forest knew I was there and accepted me. Vaugely, I wondered why I hadn't gone running more in the woods, until I remembered when I tripped over something. Right. I was sort of clumsy.

After picking myself up, I crouched down and picked up the stupid object which I'd fallen over. It was a sneaker, a men's sneaker, about a gazillion times bigger than my tiny feet. I'm a four, which totally kills any hopes of ever switching flip-flops with Velma - which is a timeless tradition - since Velma is a ten.

Unsure of what to do with the monster shoe, I eventually sighed, grabbed the laces, and kept running. Maybe I'd crash into its owner on the path, who, for all I knew, was Bigfoot.

As I was nearing the bridge that me and Scooby had stopped at, I heard people arguing. I had another bend to go around before the bridge would be in sight, so I slowed to a stand-still and simply listened without really meaning to.

"I can't believe you lost it!" A guy's voice said. The voice was vaugely familar, but I didn't know how.

"We'll find it," a second voice, another guy, said impatiently. "Don't worry."

A girl's voice, clear and delicate, said, "Um, he has a right to be worried. Without it, those stupid kids will win. And then we'll be in huge trouble. Like, _juvie_-huge trouble."

_Stupid kids. _I'd heard that expression used a million times before, or something like. Meddling kids, rotten kids, mangy kids - those were all lovely adjectives used to describe me and my friends. Oh my God, I'd run into the vampire and his partners without even meaning to. For a split second, I was immensely proud, then I realized what had just happened. Oh my God, I'd run into the vampire and his partners without even meaning to. The murdering vampire. Oh my God.

Whatever they were searching for, I didn't want to know - unless, it helped us catch him. The girl had said that if they didn't get whatever they wanted to get, we would win - assuming we were the stupid kids, which I was 99.9% sure we were.

Now all I had to do was think of a plan. Normally, that was Fred's department, or sometimes Velma. As I stood there, petrified, I realized slowly that I was the only one without a specialty. Fred set traps and was big and muscular and occasionally tackled people to the ground. Velma made plans and was smart in general. Shaggy and Scooby, along with the appetites, could run and run and run. I did nothing. Sure, I could do a little karate and I could sometimes figure out how to get us out of traps, but that was pretty much it. The more I thought about, the more angry I became. I'd prove I could do something when I whipped these guy's butts and threw them in jail.

But then I heard leaves crunching. They must've started walking towards me. Oh, snap. I frantically looked for somewhere to hide, but I couldn't go into the woods without making a ton of noise. I couldn't move without making a ton of noise. The best hiding spot I could think of was to maybe stand stock-still so they wouldn't see me, but then I remembered if they were looking for something, they'd look everywhere and then I'd be found. Eventually I just closed my eyes and hoped I was hallucinating.

After a few moments, the noise died down. Maybe they'd walked past. I opened my eyes - and had the scare of my life. Standing in front of me were three teenagers, watching me in that _Gee-I-hope-she's-not-crazy _way.

"Gah!" I gasped, stumbled back, and fell onto the ground. Nice, Daphne.

"Are you okay?" the blonde boy asked. He appeared to be the leader of the group. He knelt down and helped me up, and then I realized he was Rickey Wise, the boy from the train station.

He must have realized who I was, too, because then he said, "Hey, you're that girl who fell off the train. Daphne, right?"

I grimaced. "Yep. That's me. And you're Rickey?"

He smiled. "Yeah. Oh, and these are my friends, Marty Copeland and Pocahontas Roy." _Pocahontas_? Interesting name.

Pocahontas smiled sweetly at me. "Hi, Daphne." She was the girl with clear, delicate voice, and she was pretty in a very un-threatening way: she looked exactly like the Disney cartoon Pocahontas would if she was standing in front of me.

Marty, a short boy with short brown hair, a round head, and glasses, was confused. "What were you doing?"

"Huh?" Oh, the _hiding-from-the-vampire_ thing. "Well, I was on a run, and I heard you guys talking, and I thought you were that vampire that's been running around and his little minions."

"Why would you think that?" Rickey asked, bewildered.

"Oh, because you said _stupid kids_, and Pocahontas said you were going to juvie if you didn't find whatever you were looking for. I get called a stupid kid a lot, so I just kind of jumped to conclusions." I smiled sheepishly.

"Why do people call you stupid?" Pocahontas asked, arching her petite eyebrows.

"Oh, well, most people don't. Just criminals." When their faces were still blank, I added, "Well, I'm one of the members of Mystery Incorporated. You know, the kids and the dog who fight supernatural crime?"

"Of course!" Rickey smacked his forehead. "I knew your name sounded familar."

I flushed pink. "Well, it really shouldn't sound familar. I don't think we're really that famous. Lonnie Estrada just called us down here to solve the vampire crime."

"And you're going to solve it?" Marty asked. He looked like a nerd who'd just been told that his favorite comic book character is in town.

"Yep. Well, I mean, we're going to try, but we've never _not_ solved a case." I didn't add that we've never had a case quite as deadly as this one. "Anyway, just to be sure, what were you guys searching for?"

"Oh, that." Rickey laughed. "We made this bet with this kids from our school that if I didn't keep my sneakers on for three days straight, we'd have to break into the Wirrawee jail."

"Well, that was stupid," I said without thinking.

Pocahontas giggled. "I told them not to. Almost all bets are stupid."

Rickey elbowed her playfully. "Anyway, we were out walking, and Marty, the _idiot_, took my shoe and threw it into the woods."

"I thought I saw a bear!" Marty protested. "I wasn't going to throw my own shoe."

Rickey hushed him. "But, since all of our consciences will survive if we lie, we figured if I just found my shoe and put it on quickly, we'd be fine."

"I tripped over someone's monster shoe today," I said. "It's about ten times the size of mine. Is it yours?"

Rickey's eyes lit up. "Yeah, that's it! Thanks, Daphne!" He gave me a quick hug and knelt down to tie his shoe. My face warmed. I started thinking hard about hugs. Rickey-hugs versus Fred-hugs. I shook off the thought quickly and promised myself to comteplate the hugs later.

"Well, I'd better get going," I sighed. I didn't want to. I liked these people: Pocahontas with her innocent goodness, Marty and his cheerful, nerdy demeanor, and Rickey with his hugs and my possible crush on him. But if the gang found a clue, I wanted to be there.

Rickey seemed disappointed, too. "Oh, well, bye, I guess. I'll see you around?" He smiled a smile that I'd seen on Fred's face before. But for some reason, it didn't make me slightly light-headed like it did when Fred smiled.

"Oh, yeah, sure. I come running here a lot." That was a lie, but I wanted to - for reasons more than Rickey & Company. These woods were a safe little bubble inside a horrible nightmare about vampires and deaths and Karla.

"Cool." Rickey grinned wider. "I'll see you later, then."

I smiled and started walking back. It was only when I was a few feet away that I realized I forgot to say good-bye to Marty and Pocahontas, but then, if I turned aroud I'd look stupid, so I just kept walking. As I walked away, I remembered my whole reason for coming on this run: Daisy's engagement, and I sighed. I guess, if I hadn't been so angry with Daisy, I would have never gone on that run, and then I would have never run into Rickey. So, I technically should thank Daisy.

Except I won't, since I am a stubborn, pig-headed idiot. And I found out that if I'm ever alone with the monster, I'm pretty much helpless. I would be toast.


	10. Exreme Kindness & Almost Kissing

**_Hey, hope you guys liked the last chapter! I've been getting a lot of reviews for these chapters - we're up to an average of 4 per chapter! Whoo! Let's go for five! I want feedback... on pairings (Shelma vs Shoris and Fraphne vs Riphne), clues, and all that stuff._**

**_Also, I published a new story! It's called _Are There Such Things As Happy Endings?_ and it's mostly about how Daphne would react if her friends died. It's a bit more serious than this story, and I'm still working on it, but I hope you like it! Go to my profile to check it out!_**

**_I was a little surprised by what people have been saying. First of all, apparently when you are twelve (well, I actually turned thirteen yesterday) you're not supposed to be able to write as good as I do. Well, I was touched by what everyone was writing. Thank you soo much! Just for the record, I've always considered my writing to be average, which means that a story that's so-so in someone else's eyes will be unexcusably horrible for me. Another thing was that a lot of people think Rickey is suspicious, which isn't how I expected everyone to react - this is NOT giving away any plotlines, it's just saying that you reacted different than I expected. Anyway, here's chapter 10!_**

**_Also, sorry it took me longer than usual to finnish this chapter. I was busy appreciating my birthday gifts and being sick. I don't think it's really my best piece of work, either, but I hope you like it all the same._**

**Chapter 10**

**Extreme Kindness and Almost Kissing**

When I got back, I found Fred and Shaggy in the kitchen. They were childishly squirting each other with whipped cream. Fred, with tufts of white sticking of his hair, told me seriously that I missed nothing just as Shaggy sprayed him with whipped cream.

It was moments like these that I missed Fred the most. Instead of staying downstairs and risking death by whipped cream, I hurried up stairs to change.

As I was looking for something to wear, I found a reason why we couldn't stay in Wirrawee: Me, the most trend-aware person in the gang, had gone through all the clothes I'd brought. Yesterday, I would have been relieved to leave this whack town, but now, with Daisy's engagement and all, I wasn't so sure.

I went to find Mr. Estrada to inform him of this latest tragedy. When he learned, his eyes went wide. "Of course! How could I forget? Here," he said, handing me a _huge_ wad of cash. "Here's a thousand dollars for each of you."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. "Four _thousand_ dollars? Mr. Estrada, I couldn't possibly take it!" Actually, I could, but that's what you're supposed to say when people give you really good gifts.

"Oh, you little goose!" He laughed, and at first I thought he was going to say he made a mistake, which would have been disappointing and relieving at the same time. "There's a thousand for Scoobert Doo, as well. Tell Gill to drive you to the mall." I couldn't stop my mouth from falling open. Mr. Estrada patted my head and wobbled away.

I began running unsteadily back down to Fred and Shaggy. Of course, I ended up falling down the last three steps.

"Ow." I said in surprise, rubbing my back as I stood up.

Fred was struggling to look concerned, but as he hurried over he burst out laughing. "Sorry, sorry! You just looked so funny."

"And you don't?" I shot back, looking at the fluffs of whipped cream sticking out from his head. That set Fred laughing all over again.

"Like, just for the record, why were you running?" Shaggy asked nervously, holding the whipped cream can like it was a weapon. Oh, I love my friends.

"Oh, I don't know. Because Mr. Estrada just gave me five grand!" I waved the money in their faces. "Look!"

Fred made a choking sound. "Five grand?" I think he must have discovered another lob of whipped cream in his throat.

"Yep! A thousand for each of us, even Scooby, to buy new clothes!" I took a thousand dollars from the wad and placed it in Fred's hand. Then, because I felt like it, I screamed girlishly. "Shopping spree!"

"Well, just don't go crazy," Fred snickered. "It really wouldn't help things if we had to bail you out of jail because you got in a shoe fight."

I put my hands on my hips. "Right, and it _would_ help if you went to the mall looking Jack Frost. No need to scare the children - oh wait, you already do!" I stuck my tongue out.

"Ooh," Shaggy said, clearing enjoying himself.

"Is that the best you can do?" Fred taunted.

"No! I can be _very_ mean," I bluffed.

"Yeah, right," Fred snorted.

"I'm going to pretend that you agreed with me. Where's Velma?" I asked.

"In the library." Shaggy shrugged. "Where else?"

"Kay, I'll go get her. Try to clean yourselves up." Grabbing a dish towel, I tossed it to Fred and then headed to the library.

Velma was absorbed in some book about the Beatles. I snuck up behind her, and on impulse, cried, "Boo!" Which was actually a mean trick, since we were all freaked out about the vampire.

Velma shrieked and flung her book across the room. Turning around, she smacked my arm. "Daphne, that wasn't funny!"

"I know, I'm sorry," I said quickly. "And you'll totally love me again when I tell you that Mr. Estrada has given us each a thousand dollars to go shopping." I was not wrong about that. Velma totally got excited, which was weird because Velma isn't usually that into clothes. Of course, it turned out she was thinking about going to the store and buying some new books. Classic Velma.

Twenty minutes later, we were standing outside the mall. Shaggy and Scooby immediately took their two thousand dollars to the food court - shocker, huh? Fred was going to Olympia Sports. He asked if we wanted to come with him, but as much as I love Fred, I wasn't going to sit inside a store that promoted perspiration. Once he left, I practically dragged Velma to Hollister, and then to Abercrombie & Fitch. I made her buy some really cute stuff, though she wanted to save all her money so she could waste it on books. I mean, don't get me wrong, reading is nice and all, but why read when you can look totally hot?

After I'd spent all my money on way more clothes than I really needed for the week, I reluctantly followed Velma to Barnes and Noble. It was pretty much heaven on earth for her. She bought about twenty books and then sat down on a bench in the store, hungrily reading some book about stars.

Since she was so happy, I figured now would be a good time to spring my Doris question. "So, Velma. You don't like Doris much, do you?"

Velma glanced up, startled. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"It's kind of obvious," I said dryly.

"Oh. Well, she's annoying." Velma said indifferently.

"And she's dating your ex-sort-of-boyfriend. Hello?" I sat down beside her on the bench. "You're totally jealous."

"I am not!" Velma said indignantly.

"Defensive," I noted. "Interesting."

"She's just really annoying. And stupid." Velma muttered scornfully. "Besides, I don't have any romantic feelings toward Shaggy at all."

"Velma, I'm not saying you still like Shaggy." I rolled my eyes. "You're probably just not used to seeing him with another girl."

"But I only really liked him for a few moments!" Velma cried.

"So? Kenny Poole kissed me on the cheek at the beginning of 7th grade, and for the entire year I never liked him with another girl, even though I thought he was gross and we never went out."

"Oh. Well, that's a relief." Velma let out a long sigh. "I still think she's annoying, though."

"That, I will not argue with. She's a classic dumb blonde." I said.

The rest of the day passsed serenely. We met up with the guys later. Fred showed us his new sports junk - which all of us pretended to care about - and Shaggy and Scooby talked about all the food as we walked outside to wait for Herbert to pick us up. When we got outside, Herbert was already there. He scowled at us and told us he'd been waiting outside for ten minutes and that all teenagers were irresponsible and that he didn't know why Mr. Estrada even bothered with us. Friendly guy.

We got back to the house and, after thanking Mr. Estrada profusely, I hurried upstairs to put away all my new clothes - and so I could admire them all over again. That's the beauty of being a girl.

As I was folding a new pair of jeans, Fred walked in through the open door. "Hey, Daph."

"Hi, Fred," I said, almost warily. Fred was the only one who ever called me Daph, and that had been when we were dating.

"Velma told me that Daisy is engaged," Fred said after a moment. He walked in and sat down on the edge of my bed.

"Oh, yeah." I grumbled.

"You're not very happy about it," Fred observed.

"Well, isn't someone a smarty-pants?" I said sarcastically. After a moment, I sighed and sat down next to him. "Sorry. Yeah, I'm not exactly thrilled. It's just that, well, everytime one of my sister's have gotten married, they haven't really felt like my sister's anymore. And I'm closest to Daisy, and I don't really like being an only child." As I talked, part of my brain was thinking about how when Velma asked about it, I'd put on a brave face, but when Fred asked, I talked freely.

"But Daisy moved out a while ago," Fred pointed out.

"Well, yeah," I admitted. "I just kind of figured that she'd actually stay a Blake. I guess now it feels like there's going to be pressure put on me because I'm the last girl in our family who's still a Blake. Well, besides my mom."

"Hmm, yeah," Fred said. I got the distinct feeling that he wasn't really listening, which wasn't like Fred. Then he said, "That was really nice, what you said to Karla the other day. You know, about Dawn."

"Oh." I felt like someone had suddenly sucked all the air out of my lungs. "Thanks." I looked down at my feet, trying to hold back tears. If I cried in front of Fred, I would never forgive myself.

After a moment, I decided I wasn't going to cry and looked up and was shocked by the intensity of Fred's blue, blue eyes. Sparks suddenly rushed through my veins and my heart stuttered. Everything seemed too fast and too slow at the same time, but I wasn't really paying attention. The sky could have turned magenta and I wouldn't have cared.

Maybe he would have kissed me, or maybe I would have kissed him, or maybe nothing would have happened. No one will ever know, since Glenda poked her little snotty head into my door and called out in a sing-song voice, "Oh, Freddie! Could you come help me do some rearranging in my room? I'm not really the strongest person out there, and I need someone stronger to help me."

Slowly, dizzily, Fred nodded. "Okay, sure." He got up, glanced at me once more, shook his head, and followed Glenda out the door. I sat there for a few more moments, recovering from my Fred-induced coma. After a few moments, I sighed. Fred was busy being forced to show off his muscles. Shaggy and Scooby would be eating, and Velma would be reading. Since I had nothing better to do, I might as well go for another run. The woods were beautiful, Rickey might be there, and hey - excersize never hurt anyone. So, I grabbed my trusty sneakers, my iPod and my jacket, and soon I was trotting down the peaceful forest path.

You'd think I'd be more adverse to going into the woods, after learning that a crazy murderer was running around chopping people's heads off, or whatever. I mean, really. It was actually pretty stupid to go into the woods. But I couldn't not go down the path. It was a magnet that pulled me forward. I was kind of addicted to it.

I was listening to Taylor Swift - the song was _Change_, I think - as I neared the last bend before the bridge when I thought I heard voices over the music. I hesitated just a moment, thinking of the vampire, but then I remembered how stupid I'd looked last time I'd jumped to conclusions. Smiling to myself, I continued running. It was probably Rickey and his buddies.

"Hey, guys," I called as I rounded the bend. "How's the -" I never finished my sentence. Because then I saw the people who had been talking.

It was a vampire. Not just _a_ vampire. _The_ vampire. White face, slick black hair. Blood smeared around his mouth. I nearly threw up when his eyes flashed up toward me. For a horrible moment, everything stopped except for my pounding heart. It wasn't pounding in the nice way, in the way it does when it's charged with passion and feels like a wild mustang on the prairie. This was a hollow thudding that signified the end.

Then the two cloaked people by his side each took a threatening step forward. I took the hint. I stumbled backwards and began running with all my might. I prayed feverently to whoever was listening that just this once, I would not fall flat on my face.

No such luck. I tripped over a branch and went sprawling in the dirt. The footsteps behind me were shaking the earth. Trembling, I quickly pulled myself up, but then they were upon me and before I could blink, something hit me in the head. Hard. I fell back onto the ground, and as I laid there, my mind gradually gave way to a blackness that had no end.


	11. Solving the Puzzle & Stopping the Passio

_**Oooh, this story has taken an unexpected turn! What's going to happen to poor Daphne? And what about that little moment that Fred and Daphne had - and did Glenda purposely ruin it? You can figure that out for yourself.**_

_**Hmm, I don't really have much to say (which is unlike me). Just keep posting your comments - the more detail, the better. For instance, one reviewer, T.K, pointed out that my story has romance, but it's not packed into every inch possible. This was the point: I've been having trouble finding a good story in which there's enough romance to make it interesting, but not enough to make it sickening. This story was fueled by how annoying that is. I mean, Daphne is obviously in love with Fred, but she's in love with him realistically. That is, she's able to think outside of Fred. Plus, everything isn't absolutely perfect in their relationship - they're not even in a relationship (technically). Anyway, here's chapter eleven!**_

_**Also, in the second paragraph, two of the sentences are based off a few lines from **_**Tomorrow, When the War Began**_** (that movie comes to the U.S.A soon - I know one of the executive producers). Love that book!**_

**Chapter Eleven**

**Solving the Puzzle and Stopping the Passion**

This sounds super lame, but I woke up with my hands tied behind my back and my feet tied together. In a closet. Which was cramped and full of cardboard boxes. Oh, and my mouth was duct taped shut.

Now, some people wake up fast and some wake up slow. I wake up dead. I laid there for a minute like an idiot, trying to remember what I had done to deserve getting locked in a closet. When I remembered, I moaned (well, tried to - it's kind of hard with duct tape) and slowly sat up. I wasn't sure what to do, but I just went by what people usually do when they are tied up in closets. First, I tried to untie myself, but it did not work, obviously. Then I experimentally pressed the part of my head where I remembered getting hit against the wall. That was a bad idea. A _very_ bad idea. After that, I tried kicking and screaming muffled screams, since I was getting really bored and really ticked off. But, either everyone was stone deaf or they really didn't like me, because no one came.

Then I didn't know what to do. I mean, I'd watched tons of movies in which the heroine is tied and gagged and locked in a closet and whatever because she 'knows too much' or something along those lines. And in those movies, she's always rescued by the shirtless, ripped hero with tan skin and blonde hair. And then, while they watched the bad guy being dragged off to the insane assylum, the girl would end up very unsubtly stroking the hero's six-pack. I'd always figured that if I was ever in a closet for an extended period of time, it would be for a reason that would involve me doing something with Fred that I would be embarressed to tell my parents. And, if by the slightest chance, I came upon some weird secret government facility and they locked me in a closet, I thought it'd at the very least be romantic. Guess I was wrong - probably because when I was thinking about it, I'd had a boyfriend who would most definitely come to save me (you don't even need to guess who it is).

As I sat there, annoyed because my kidnapping was fairy-tale enough, I heard footsteps and then a door somewhere creaked open. Apparently someone had entered the room in which there was the closet in which there was me.

"But why do you have to look in my room, Shaggy?" Doris was saying. I could picture her batting her eyelashes like stupid mean girls in chick flicks. Then she gave a tinkling gasp. "I'm not a suspect, am I?"

"Everyone is, Doris," That was Velma, snapping at Doris. "That includes you." I frowned to myself. I thought we'd figured out that Neil Adartse was doing the killing. What was going on?

Shaggy probably looked insulted. Then he said, "Well, like, I don't know, not everyone, I mean -"

"Everyone is a suspect," Fred said hardly. I kicked the door. Nothing happened.

"Everyone is a suspect," Shaggy repeated quickly.

I heard Scooby snuffling around the room. "Rhere ris rhe?" he whimpered. I kicked the door again, to give them a clue. No one reacted. I guess the closet door was pretty thick.

"How do you even know she was kidnapped?" Doris said, almost whining.

"Because we heard her scream," Fred said coldly. I was too surprised to really listen to his tone. I screamed?

"And we found her shoe on the path," Velma added.

"Well, I hate to break it to you," Doris said uncomfortably, "But she could have been ki-"

"Don't say it," Fred's voice whipped out, furious and afraid at the same time. Desperately, I kicked the door. Then I kicked it again. And again.

Finally, Velma said, "She might be in the closet."

"Don't go in there!" Doris shrieked. Squirming, I pressed my ear up against the door. What did she know? She couldn't be the vampire, could she?

"Why not?" Velma challenged.

"Because, well, um... I kind of keep my Shaggy scrapbooks in there," Doris explained shyly. Aha. That was what was in the boxes.

"Aw, isn't that nice?" Shaggy said quickly. "I don't think Daphne's here, let's go check in the basement or somewhere without, er, cats who don't really like each other and tend to fight a lot."

"Ro rat rights," Scooby agreed. Trust those two to try to avoid arguements.

"No." Velma said determinedly. "We have to check everywhere. Either Doris is hiding something, or she's just weird." Doris gasped.

"Listen, Dinkley -" Doris started to say something that would count as an insult in her book, but then, to help the gang out, I screamed as loud as I could possibly manage.

"Daphne!" Fred shouted. "She's in the closet!" Footsteps thumped on the ground, then the door was thrown open and there was Fred and Velma and Shaggy and Scooby in front of me. Each one of them was relieved in different ways; Fred was intensely relieved, Velma was triumphantly relieved, Shaggy was awkwardly relieved, and Scooby was puppy-like relieved. He jumped on me and began to lick me, and I couldn't push him off.

"Thank God," Fred muttered. I couldn't help but feel accomplished - I'd made Fred worry. That was kind of adorable. He pushed Scooby off of me and helped me out of the closet. I tried hopping a little, but ended up tumbling on top of the bed.

"Daphne, are you okay?" Shaggy asked as if he expected me to answer. I gave him a whithering look.

"Aha!" Velma crowed. "Why was Daphne tied up in your closet? Don't get me wrong, Daphne," she said briefly to me. "I'm glad that your back and all. But _why_?" Velma sounded like a kid locked overnight in Disneyland. Fred rolled his eyes and started untying me - ugh, how stupid does that sound?

"I didn't know she was there!" Doris wailed defensively. Her eyes flashed from me to Velma to Shaggy. Fred finished with my hands and started to move onto my feet, but I swatted him away and started to do it myself, to prove I wasn't totally helpless.

"Yeah, right," Velma said sarcastically. "Let's see what else is in this closet - wait, what's that on Daphne's foot?" I looked down and realized that there was something dangling from my foot. Gently, I picked it up. When I saw what it was, my eyes went wide and I tossed it to Velma like it was a worm. It was the vampire's mask. Oh my God.

Doris's eyes went wide with shock. "I-I swear, I _swear_ I don't know how it got in there."

Velma paid no attention and instead walked into the closet. When she came out, she was proudly holding up the rest of the vampire's costume. Fred swallowed next to me. My breath quicked as I yanked on the ropes around my ankles again. Whoever had tied it had obviously been a Boy Scout, because they were tight. Or, in this case, a Girl Scout.

"It's all adding up now," Velma said. She started to pace across the room. "Doris wanted revenge against the people who jailed her father, and -"

"Her _father_?" I tried to say. It sound like _mmm mm-mm_? I yanked on the ropes again angrily.

"Oh, sorry, Daph," Fred said, smiling that smile that made my heart break every single time. "We should fill you in. Velma, would you please?" He started to lift up the duct tape, but I squirmed my head out of reach. I would do that later, very, very slowly. Duct tape can be very unpleasant to take off.

"With pleasure," Velma said, flashing a smile at Doris. To me, she said, "You see, while you were out running, someone left a newspaper on the doorstep. The headline was _Neil Adartse Found Dead_. Not only did it talk about how the police found his body, but it also mentioned his three daughters: Glenda, Doris and Patty Fitzgerald. After talking with Mr. Estrada, we learned that Neil was his son-in-law. Mr. Estrada's daughter, Kimberley, left him with her daughters when the murdering buisness started. She then married an accountant, Joey Fitzgerald. Both were killed in a car accident seven years ago. We also learned that the two oldest girls were _very_ close to their father. We went to find Glenda and Doris, but we could only find Glenda. She told us that Doris had left, taking a large bag with her. Add that to Daphne tied up in the closet and a vampire costume in her room, and you have the culprit."

Shaggy was speechless. "Doris, how could you?" He whispered.

"I didn't!" Doris insisted, on the verge of tears. "I promise, Shaggy, I didn't!"

Fred stood up. "I'm going to go call the police." He hurried strongly out of the room. Frustrated that I couldn't follow him, I pulled the hardest I'd ever pulled on my ankle ropes. And then I fell off the bed. Velma sighed and crouched down next to me. Surprise, surprise, she got it undone with one simple pull. I stood up a little unsteadily and, after glancing hesitantly at Doris, I ran after Fred.

He was standing in the dining room, talking seriously onto phone. "Yes, sir... Well, sort of. I mean, my friends are with her... We found the vampire's costume in her room along with my friend, who she'd locked in the closet... Fred Jones... Yes, sir, that's me... Thanks, sir." He hung up and ran his hands through his hair. Then he saw me, and he smiled a little. "Aren't you going to take off the duct tape?" I grimaced, and put my hand at the corner of the tape, and pulled it a teeny bit. Ow, ow. I would have stopped then, except that Fred was there, and I am not a wimp in front of anything but a mirror. So, I pulled it, bit by bit, until, at least, I threw the stupid tape on the ground.

"Ow." I muttered.

"There, that wasn't too bad, was it?" Fred said, trying to smile.

"I'm more of a bandage-soaker," I sighed. "I'm going to get some ice for my head."

"Does it hurt?" Fred asked, concerned. Aw, how sincere.

"A little." A lie. I felt like someone had hit me with a pregnant elephant.

Fred followed me into the kitchen. As I stuffed the ice in the bag, I was overly aware that Fred was right behind me. The sensiblity inside of me told me to avoid looking into his eyes, which would stop me from risking all of my sanity. Instead, I turned around. Fred's face was right there in front of mine. Suddenly we were both alive and charged with passion. And then he _kissed _me.

It was as if someone had found the world's biggest, brightest, blazing firework and set it off insde me during a total eclipse. Everything was sharply defined yet distant, and my head felt light and my heart felt like it might gallop out of me, and I didn't care. I was kissing him back like it was the last kiss I might ever get. It's kind of funny, because usually, a part of me can stand aside from everything else, like someone watching a movie. But with Fred, it was all or nothing. And I wanted the _all_ so darn bad. And here it was. And it was beautiful and wonderful and I could have stayed like that forever.

After a moment that could have lasted a split second or all of eternity, he pulled back. At first, there was heart-breaking disappointment that was irrational, then I realized what he had just done.

"Sorry," Fred breathed. "I don't know what just came over me."

We were still standing very close, and I very reluctantly took a step back. Maybe I should have stayed right where I was, but I _couldn't_ love Fred. Last time, we'd nearly died. Not only me, but Fred. Say I did date Fred, and we got distracted, and next time, we found Fred dead? It'd be all my fault. That could not happen. Which meant that I had to say what I never wanted to say, ever. For a moment, I could have been Juliet with all her heartbreak.

"Yeah," I whispered. I didn't know what else to say. Actually, I did, but I didn't want to. "Fred, I thought we were, you know... just friends?" Instantly, I felt hollower, but I gritted my teeth and ignored it.

"I know. Sorry." He stared down at his feet.

We stood there for a moment, each trying to look busy, then I said awkwardly, "Well, I'm going to go help Velma, um, with, well, stuff."

"Oh, okay." Fred said hurriedly. "Yeah, you go do that. I'm just going to go... yeah."

I walked away, glancing over my shoulder when I thought he wouldn't be looking. One time, though, I met Fred's eyes. My face flushed red, and I quickly turned to face forward.

I knew I should have been grateful. Not only had Fred kissed me, which I hadn't even begun to believe that I could hope that might happen, but we'd solved the mystery. We could leave this town, and it was only Monday.

But I wasn't. I'd given up Fred. That was bad enough. And, although we'd finally found the culprit, for some reason, nothing felt complete. Maybe I was just being stupid, but I couldn't shake that feeling.

**_Don't worry, everyone! I'm not finished! There are more stories on the way. Just thought I'd let you know before you start freaking out. Also, I couldn't fit the entire chapter title in the little chapter choosing thingy. _**


	12. Dejecting Him, Disappointing Me, & a Dia

_**Ahh, so they mystery's been solved. Doris is obviously a bloodthirsty killer who was crazed by revenge. Oh, and she still didn't admit to it. What's up with that chick? And FRED KISSED DAPHNE. Those two could make their own light show, but Daphne walked away because she thinks if she loves Fred, he'll end up getting hacked to death by some crazed villian. Interesting.**_

_**PLEASE keep commenting. Comments are the peanut to my butter, the marsh to my mallow, the cookie to my cutter... yeah you get the picture. Just keep posting your honest opinion. Thanks to Chilli555 and chelxrose for sticking with me. SPECIAL thanks to XxLadyStrengthxX for sticking with me and being the first person here to convince me I had some talent. **_

_**I'm just going to shut up and write now - I'm so excited to write this chapter (probably because of some dialouge I'd thought of earlier).**_

**Chapter Twelve:**

**Dejecting Him, Disappointing Me, and a Diabolical Plan**

The police came to arrest Doris ten minutes later. She was sobbing and snotting up into a tissue. Glenda chewed gum and had her hand on her hip the entire time they were taking her away. Patty was crying too hard to speak. Mr. Estrada just looked all stern and disappointed, like a father who's son broke a window with a baseball. I was a little concerned by that, but, then again, Mr. Estrada had never said he was close to his granddaughters. He could have hated every single one of them (and I wouldn't have been surprised), except maybe Patty. She's impossible to hate.

I was avoiding Fred. Not that I really wanted to - I secretly (or maybe not so secretly) just wanted him to kiss me again. But I had to be firm. Fortunately, I have a lot of self-control. Unfortunately, it all crumbles when Fred gets near it.

After they left, we had a nice, sort of celebratory lunch (yes, I'd found out I'd been in there at least twelve hours, which is a wee bit long to be unconscious because of a head injury. Hopefully they'd hit me with a tranquilizing dart or something). These cute little sandwich triangles and fruit salad. I thought it was a little weird that Mr. Estrada wanted to celebrate his granddaughter's arrest. Glenda wasn't exactly traumatized, either. Patty certaintly was. As soon as the police left, she ran up to her room and slammed the door.

Anyway, during lunch, Mr. Estrada stood up, smiling. "I have an announcement." Yeesh, what was with this guy and speeches and smiling? At least he had the dignity to smile sadly.

"I would like to congratulate Mystery Inc with their succesful wrap-up of this mystery. Although it was Doris -" Mr. Estrada stopped to blow his nose in a pocket hanky. " - I am still eternally relieved that the young people of this town are no longer at danger. And to prove it to you, we will be having a ball tomorrow in your honor. I asked Officer Logan to post it at the bulletien. Everyone is in town right now for some parade; they'll all see it and they're all invited." Mr. Estrada smiled proudly. I couldn't help but grin breathlessly at my friends. A ball with pretty dresses and slow dances and that one song that plays through your head again and again.

And then I saw Glenda narrowing her eyes and smiling at Fred. My smile faded and I glared at her without knowing I was glaring at her. I bet I knew what she was thinking.

I went on another run after lunch. It was funny - running had become my refuge. Of course, yesterday, it had gotten me tied and gagged in a closet. But still: Shaggy had his food and Velma had her books and Fred had his football and I had my runs.

As I leaned against the railing on the bridge, thinking about Fred and Glenda, I heard footsteps again. I whirled around, terrified, and kicked out karate-style, trying to remember everything I'd learned in martial arts class eight years. The only thing that came to mind was the funny yells. Yeah, that will help me.

"Whoa!" It was Rickey. Holding his hands in front of his face protectively.

"Omigod, I'm so sorry!" I laughed dispite myself.

"Hey, it's cool!" Rickey said. He came to stand beside me.

"So," he said after a moment. "You're going to Mr. Estrada's ball aren't you? I mean, of course you are, it's in your honor. Oh, by the way, congratulations on solving the mystery, and I heard that you -"

"Rickey," I arched my eyebrows, feeling kind of proud of myself that I could make him nervous. "Honestly."

"Right." He let out a low breath, and then strummed his fingers on the railing. "Just though I'd make my move sooner than later. Okay, so, um, are you, you know... going with anyone?"

"Um, no..." I murmured, not really paying attention. I was remembering the warning Mr. Estrada had given me in the letter that we had recieved at the very beginning of all of this: _I suggest you make a move sooner than later._ The meaning was on the tip of my tongue...

Rickey said something, but I didn't hear him. What if it meant... could it possibly mean that I should get together with Fred? It couldn't, because Mr. Estrada didn't know... unless he'd just assumed. Lots of people do. Pretty girl, hot boy. It was actually really annoying, but it was easier to have people know we were dating than to have to explain why we were dating for the twentieth time. Talking about my boyfriend in front of my boyfriend is totally overrated.

If Mr. Estrada wanted us to get together... well, could I? I was protecting Fred by not dating him... wasn't I? That was the point, wasn't it? Or... what if I was protecting me? The realization hit me with a jolt. After Fred was playing golf with those nameless girls, he'd seemed a step closer to my other boyfriends. I'd had broken hearts before - which girl hasn't? And maybe my subconscious thought it would be safer for my heart if we were all just friends, and made me believe I was doing it for Fred. Maybe I hadn't needed to watch other girls bat their eyelashes at him. Maybe I hadn't needed to hold back the urge I had to love him. Maybe I hadn't needed to walk away from that unbelievable moment there in the kitchen.

"Daphne? Daphne are you okay?" Rickey's voice cut through my moment like a knife.

"Oh, yeah," I whispered.

"I just asked if you wanted to go with me to the ball?" Rickey said, his eyes never leaving my face.

"Oh. I...I can't. I, um, I'm still in love with Fred." I said dizzily. I was riding on some weird, huge high after my total moment.

"Fred from the gang?" Rickey asked. Surprisingly, he hadn't flipped out yet.

"Well, yeah." I hadn't really been aware that there were Freds besides my Fred. "We were going out, and then we kind of broke up this summer because, um, well, we got jealous during a case, and we missed the clues, and we almost nearly died. So, we all decided we should be just friends, but it was really stupid of me because I've been in love with him since day one. But there's this chick, Glenda, who likes him, and she's a total b- er, female dog. And now I've got to go apologize to Fred before she totally ruins my life!" I started to run in place, pumped.

"But Daphne -" Rickey started to say.

"I'm so sorry, Rickey," I said, smiling in what I hoped was an apolgetic manner. "Honestly, if you thought I was leading you on just to dump you, I swear to God I wasn't. I didn't think I could date Fred until like three minutes ago and now -"

"Daphne, it's okay!" Rickey said, laughing almost too casually. Faker. "Go ask out Fred."

I was unsure if he meant it, but no way was I going to find out. "Thanks so much, Rickey! You're the best!" I meant that, too. I gave him a quick kiss on the lips before I turned around, racing back to Fred. It was a race against Glenda now.

When I got back I was sweaty, but I didn't care. I had to find Fred so I could ask him to go with me and then Velma could ask Shaggy and Patty could dance with Scooby and I'd be friends with Rickey and everyone wins _except _Glenda!

On the way in, I passed Shaggy in the kitchen, devouring this collasal muffin. Like, I'm talking _hippo-size_ collasal. Don't know where the heck he got it, and don't really want to know. He glanced up as I ran in. "Like, where's the fire?"

"I've got to go ask Fred out before Glenda does!" I slowed to a halt and put my hands on my knees.

Shaggy choked. "I thought you broke up!"

"We didn't! We... stopped being romantically involved," I said finally. "But we still are totally in love with each other... I think. I mean, we've got a spark like... like you and that _muffin_! God, how do you have room for that?"

"Sorry," Shaggy moaned. "I need comfort food because of Doris. I'm so upset I have room for _you_ in here." He patted his stomach.

"Well, as much as I would love to visit that bottomless pit you call your stomach, I really don't have time to be digested. Gotta go!" I took off running again.

I found Fred upstairs, walking out his door. I was running so fast that I crashed into him, but I couldn't care less.

"What are you doing?" Fred laughed. He must have forgotton he'd kissed me, because he wasn't being stupid and awkward. Well, not forgotten, since it was impossible to forget, but it was at least out of his mind.

"No time for stupid questions!" I said quickly. I was fidgeting and nervous.

Fred still thought it was funny. "Okay, then what's a definition of a smart question."

"Fred, I'm serious!" I insisted.

"Of course you are," he said mock-seriously.

Finally, I giggled. "Would you stop distracting me? I've got something extremely important to say!"

"Would you like a drum roll?" Fred asked, eyes sparkling.

"A drum roll would be preferrable." I sighed. It was the only way to get him to seriously listen to me.

Grinning, he rapped rhythmatically on the wall. I took a deep breath. "Well, I was out running and I was thinking about the warning that Mr. Estrada gave me in the letter, you know, to make my move soon? And I figured out what it meant. And the truth is -"

"Hi, Fred! Hi, Daphne!" The last voice I wanted to hear interrupted me. Glenda walked around the corner - and kissed Fred on the cheek. It was all I had in me not to start spluttering like a ninconpoop.

"Oh, um, Glenda asked me to the ball," Fred muttered unconfortably when he saw my face.

"It's going to be so much fun," Glenda giggled sugarily. I narrowed my eyes. What would be _fun_ is pushing that girl in the river and watching her come out, mascara running and her eyes glowing red. Terrifying, but fun.

"So, what did you want to tell me, Daph?" Fred asked after a moment. I gaped at him. This was feeling like a bad sitcom.

"Oh, that..." My mouth was open wide and my eyes were darting around as I tried to think of an excuse. "Well, um, you two seem busy, so I'll just come back when I'm not interrupting anything bye!" I turned around and started to hurry to my room, head-down.

"No, it's okay," Glenda said sweetly. I froze. "Tell Fred whatever you wanted him to know. I don't mind."I wonder how much time I'd get in prison if I went at her with a pair of scissors.

I winced, made a face, took a deep breath, plastered a smile across my face, turned around and walked back. "Oh, well, um, you see, it's um, well..." I racked my brain for something to say, but nothing came to mind. _Just tell the truth._ I swallowed. "You see, the truth is, well, this is going to be super awkward, but, well, I'm still deeply, deeply in love with Fr... anklin. Franklin." A small part of me sighed in defeat.

Glenda tried to hold back a snort. She failed misrabely. "I'm sorry, did you just say Franklin?"

"The turtle?" Fred asked, confused.

"Well, yeah," I muttered. "That's him. And you know what? I am going to go see a professional to solve this problem. So," I continued, clasping my hands together, "Have fun at the ball, I'm sure you'll look great, and now I'm gonna go so bye!" I quickly turned and almost ran back downstairs before either of them could call me back, before I could burst into tears.

Shaggy saw me running past again. "Like, is there another fire?" The muffin was almost gone. I ignored him and ran for the door, but just as my hand touched the doorknob, a clumsy, beaten idea came into my mind. It wasn't exactly brilliant, but it was better than nothing.

I whirled around. "Shaggy, where's the phonebook?"

"I think it's in that drawer," He mumbled through a mouthful of muffin. "Why?"

"I have a plan to get Fred away from the wicked witch of the west," I said over my shoulder as I tore through the drawer. At least, I found the pages. Leafing to the W's, I wrote down the address next to _Wise_. Then, not even bothering to say bye to Shaggy, I ran out the door. Rickey may seem too good to be true, but for my sake, I hoped he had at least a little bit of bad boy inside of him.


	13. Threats & Tears

_**Oooh! Daphne's got some sort of evil plan in mind to get Fred back from Glenda! And what does it have to do with little Rickey Wise?**_

_**Now, orignally I was just going to tell you to comment. But then, I was looking around and I found the stats page. And I was shocked. Because this simple story has reached people in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia, Algeria, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, Ukraine, India, South Africa, Hungary, Poland, and Kuwait. I was amazed and touched. I don't even know where Kuwait is! (If you are the person from Kuwait, please tell me). And the majority of people are reading through my story, which is incredible. Thank you so much!**_

_**Okay, here's chapter thirteen!**_

**Chapter Thirteen:**

**Threats and Tears**

"You want me to pretend to be your boyfriend?" Rickey asked incredulously. "At the ball?"

I nodded sheepishly. I was in his room, which looked like every generic teenage boy's room, except for the fact that it was nice and clean. He really was good.

After finding out his adress, I'd run the entire way to his house. Looking back, I could have asked Mr. Gill to drive us, but adrenaline does something to your brain and makes you do things very dramatically, I think. Anyway, when I got there, his mom looked like a cookie cut-out of moms in commercials for_ I Can't Believe It's Not Butter_, or something like that. You know, very classic. Gasping for breath, I told her I was a friend of Rickey's. Now, if I had been Mrs. Wise, I would have thrown me out. I could have been a serial killer or something. But she smiled warmly, told me that he was in his room and that they were cookies in the oven. Figures.

Rickey had been more excited to see more before I had started talking, I think. I think he thought I was taking advantage of him, which I wasn't trying to do, honestly. But if I asked Shaggy, would Fred believe me? No, of course not. I had to ask a real guy, one that would have Fred shaking in his socks. All this I explained to Rickey.

"Please?" I begged. "If you don't, Fred will fall in love with Glenda and she'll end up, I don't know... doing something super bad!"

Rickey was frowning. "How does me pretending to be your boyfriend get you Fred?"

Well, at least he hadn't said no. "Because Fred is prone to getting jealous. Trust me, I've done this before."

"Did it work?"

"Well, no - but that's because that time it had been revenge-based. This is to save him. Glenda will do something bad, I garuntee you! Please, Rickey?"

"Okay, say I do this." Rickey had been pacing, but now he slowed down. "If I agree to do this, will Fred hurt me?"

I laughed. "Trust me, I think Fred will be fine. Now, hurry and rent a tux! You don't need to pick me up, I'm staying at Mr. Estrada's house. This is so going to work!

Rickey was still unsure. "What's in it for me?"

"Rickey!" I shook my head and placed my hand on his shoulder. "This is no time to be selfish! There is a boy out there who is in danger of falling in love with the wrong girl! We've got no time to think for ourselves!"

Finally, I'd managed to make Rickey laugh. "Okay, I'll help you out. But only because you guilted me into it."

"Thanks, Rickey!" I gave him a quick hug. "I have to go get ready - see you there!" I waved good-bye and ran down the stairs. After hurriedly saying good-bye to Mrs. Wise, I ran out the door and back home. Only this time I wasn't all pumped and it took me twice as long. And I was still sweaty. Ugh.

After I got back and took a shower, I decided to go find Fred. I'd tell him that I had a date. Lets see how well he deals with that.

Velma told me he was out with one of the gardeners, fishing at the pond on Mr. Estrada's property. As I thanked her, I noticed she was practically glowing with happiness. Sure, we'd solve the case, but glowing seemed a little extreme. "Velma, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Velma shrugged, and then she _blushed_. Velma doesn't _blush_. She goes through life, bluntly telling people their flaws and admitting her own. She is not a self-conscious person. I immediately jumped to conclusions.

"Who asked you out?" I asked, not really expecting her to answer seriously.

"Marty Copeland," Velma whispered, eyes shining.

"_What_?" I gaped at her. Marty Copeland was Rickey's little nerd-friend!

Velma put her hands on her hips. "What, a guy can't ask me out?"

"No, it's just that I know Marty Copeland." And I was completely in shock that he'd like her, but no way was I going to tell her that.

"Oh." Velma calmed down. "Sorry."

"Yeah, it's okay. I've got to go make Fred insanely jealous."

Velma shook her head, smiling. "Have fun!"

"You bet your jinkies I will." I hurried down the hall and would have continued down the stairs, except that a flash of gold in Mr. Estrada's study caught my eye. I stopped dead in my tracks. The fact that it was in his room was interesting enough. It was always, always closed. I'd asked him why, once. Mr. Estrada's smile had dropped faster than I could run on Black Friday. He'd told me that it was where he took care of his 'buisness', which made it sound like a bathroom.

Quickly checking to make sure he wasn't coming, I poked my head into the door - and gasped. Because lining the walls of his study were hundreds and hundreds of golden shark-teeth from Yeppaho. The same kind that Melody Sandoval had. The same kind that the gun-guy on the train had been searching for.

"Daphne." I whirled around. Mr. Estrada was standing there, his face stormy. For once, he had stopped smiling.

"Sorry," I said quickly. "I was just going to find Fred, and it kind of caught me eye - the door was open. What are all these for?"

"Collection of mine." Mr. Estrada forced a smile. "Run along. Go play with your friends."

I quickly hurried away, my face red and my heart pounding. I would be so glad to leave this town tomorrow after the ball.

I was just about to walk down the path that lead to the pond when I heard Scooby barking wildly. I hesitated, sighed, and ran toward the bark.

After a while, I reached Scooby. He was barking wildly at the gardner's shed. "Scooby, what are you doing?"

"Renda rand ra roy rare rin rhere!" Scooby panted.

_Glenda and a boy_... Oh my God. I flung open the door, and then only stare in shock.

There was Glenda Fitzgerald, making out with some boy who I'd never seen before. Both of their heads snapped up to look at me when I opened the door. The boy was ashamed. Glenda was furious. Scooby Doo danced in and said proudly, "Rold rou ro!"

"Who's that?" I finally managed to gasp, pointing at the boy.

"Who's the chick, Glen?" The boy asked, studying me. My cheeks reddened, and I held my head higher.

"That's Daphne Blake," Glenda said through clenched teeth. "She's one of those Mystery Dorks. She thinks she knows everything."

"Oh, do you?" The boy said, not really paying attentin. He was still looking at me weird. I gave him a dirty look.

"I still don't know who he is!" I half-shouted.

"Calm down, kid." Glenda rolled her eyes. "This is Alex Park. My boyfriend."

"What about Fred?" I cried. Not that I wanted her to have Fred, but I didn't want him hurt.

Alex shrugged. "Fred broke up with her. He can deal with being jealous."

Glenda saw my face. She groaned. "Fine, I'm coming. I'll be right back, Alex."

"'Kay." Alex gave her one more long kiss that had me looking at something else. Then Glenda was gripping my elbow with her perfect manicured nails and dragging me out of the shed.

"Rait ror re!" Scooby yelped, but Glenda slammed the door in his face, and locked it.

"Glenda, he's my friend!" I protested.

"Figures. It takes one to know one." Glenda smirked. "Anyway, you'd better not tell Fred about what you'd just seen."

"Why shouldn't I?" I challenged. "I'm not going to let Fred go to the ball with a snake like you."

"Because it would really, really hurt Fred," Glenda said, her voice smooth and slick like oil. "It'd break his heart, to find that the girl he loves is cheating on him."

"He doesn't love you, he loves me." I said, trying to keep the uncertainty out of my voice.

"Really? If Fred loved you, he wouldn't have said yes to me, would he?" Glenda's perfect eyebrows were raised, questioning everything about my life. "But you love him, don't you?"

"Well, I -"

"I knew it." Glenda laughed shortly.

"I'm still going to tell Fred," I threatened weakly. "It will be nicer coming from a friend then from someone like you."

"Oh, did I forget to add that I have your locket?" Glenda smiled.

"My - my locket!" My hand flew to where my necklace usually hung, the one that I'd gotten from Dawn. It wasn't there. It was the last gift from her I'd ever gotten.

Glenda's smile was still there as she took _my_ locket out of her pocket. She dangled it in front of my face. My eyes were wide and my breath was coming in too quick. Glenda smile turned into a snarl. "And if you tell anyone, I'll hack it up and throw it in the garbage disposal. Is that clear?"

I stared at her in horror, thinking about how horrible life was, and then I burst into tears. Tripping over my own feet, I stumbled blindly away from her, from her stupid boyfriend, from everything. I just wanted to go back to Coolsville, where everything made sense.

I heard some people talking, but their conversation cut off when I ran past. "Daphne?" Oh, God. Please let it not be Fred. I just kept running.

"Daph!" It was Fred. I heard him say good-bye to someone, and then there were footsteps behind me.

And then his hand reached out to grab my shoulder and he pulled me to a stop. I could only stand there, sobbing. Then he was hugging me and as I cried, I thought about how ironic life was, and I was sobbing harder. His hand rubbed my back comfortingly.

"What's wrong?" He murmured after a moment, when I was a little quieter.

Crap. Now I needed to think of a reason for why I was crying my eyes out. I sniffled. "Nothing." Very smart answer, Daphne.

"Daphne." Fred stepped back and looked me in the eye. "Do you really think I'm _stupid_ enough to believe that?"

I sort of laughed and cried somemore at the same time. "I... well, Glenda accidentally said something about Dawn, and I'd just been thinking about her, because I knew Dawn would love to come to the ball and now -" And then I stupidly made myself start sobbing again. Only this time, my heart was aching for a pretty red-headed sister of mine who was gone forever.

"Oh, Daph." Fred was holding me again. I think _Oh, Daph_ are the second most comforting words in the world, after _I love you_.

I don't know how long we stood there, but then I heard Glenda calling sweetly, "Oh, Freddie!"

I gritted my teeth, let go of Fred, quickly tried to clean myself up, and then gave up. First of all, I was a trainwreck, and Glenda had already seen me start bawling like a baby. Didn't matter.

Glenda apparently needed Fred to help her choose what dress she needed to wear to the party. Idiot. Fred hesitated, and turned to me. "Will you be okay?"

I loved his concern. I loved him. I just nodded.

"'Kay. I'll see you later, Daph." He kissed my forehead, and then walked off with Glenda. I watched them leave with teary eyes. When I couldn't see them anymore, I moaned and sat down on the ground, trembling.

This plan had better work, because I think I was more in love with Fred than I ever was. Maybe it was because of the way Fred had held me, or my natural stubborness wanting to defy Glenda. Either way, it had to work or I would die. Metamorphically.


	14. Rough Kisses & Revenge

_**Hi, everyone! Cierra here! I'm sorry it took so long for me to finish his chapter, I just got super busy - I'll try to finish the next one quicker!Also, this chapter's a bit of a song-fic. The song is Better Than Revenge, by Taylor Swift. If you know the song, it totally fits this chapter. **__**Oh, and I published another story, **_**They'll Drift No More**_**, which is a companion to my one-shot, **_**Keep Drifting.**_** My first from Fred's point of view, too. **_

_**I'd just like to thank everyone for commenting. Each comment gives me more reason to keep writing. Yay for compliments! But I'd like to say that if you have critism about something that I wrote, I'd love if you gave it to me. Don't feel like a jerk if I didn't spell punctuality correctly or something, and you just have to tell me or die. I'm a pretty harsh critic. It'd serve me right to get a taste of my own medicine.**_

_**Actually, things are pretty good. I've now gotten hits from Italy and Peru! The five countries who read this story the most are the United States, the UK, Kuwait, France, and Canada. But I still don't know where Kuwait is, and I dislike Canada strongly for giving us hockey and Justin Beiber (although their actors are all attractive :D). Anyway, I'm just going to stop talking and start writing.**_

**Chapter 14**

**Rough Kisses and Revenge**

By the time the ball came around, I was ready. In my mind, I had sketched out the story of tonight: Fred sees me with Rickey, gets jealous, dumps Glenda (preferably in something gross), sweeps me off my feet and kisses me hard enough to give me a heart attack. Something like that, anyway.

I should have known that nothing works like you want it to.

Rickey arrived promptly just as everyone else was just arriving. I met him outside by the front door. Like I'd told him to, he was wearing a tux, although I wasn't exactly relieved. Rickey was too good to forget. His eyes widened when he saw me.

"That had better be acting, mister," I teased as I walked up to him. I quickly kissed him on the cheek, feeling like a cheater. I mean, technically speaking, if either of us was the cheater, it would be Fred, since he'd said yes to Glenda. But that's because I told her he was single when in reality I was madly in love with him and only said that so he could be happy. But then Fred kissed me like that, and I thought it meant something, and I tried to ask him to the dance, but Glenda got to him first. Now because Glenda really is dating Alex, and I can't tell anyone because she has my locket, I have to pretend to date Rickey so my master-mind scheme will work and -

Wow, my life sounds a whole lot like a soap opera.

"You look really good," Rickey said. "Like, really, really good."

I made a little curtsy. "Why, thank you!" I had to admit that I probably did look totally hot. I was wearing one of my favorite dresses - it was sleeveless, hot pink with a ruffled skirt which came up to just above my knees - and my favorite gold boots. My hair had been curled through the use of a curling iron (you got to love those things). I was so perfect.

"I have to admit, you don't look too bad yourself," I said, smiling. "But don't let it go to your head - we have a Fred to make jealous. C'mon." I lead him inside the house.

At first, the gang had figured Mr. Estrada would hold the ball somewhere else. Like, a hotel ballroom, or whatever. But being rich myself, I'd known that he would have his very own ballroom. I was right, of course, but I had no idea how beautiful his ballroom would really be. I felt like I'd stepped out of reality and into fairytale land.

People were milling around already. I scanned the room for Fred and saw him, talking with Shaggy and Glenda. He looked bored. He'd better be bored, or this wouldn't work. I lead Rickey up to them.

"Oh, hi guys!" I smiled warmly.

"Hey, Daph -" Fred started to say, but then two things happened. He saw me, and his eyes widened. I couldn't help but let my smile get a little smug. Then Fred saw Rickey, and his eyes narrowed.

"Oh, this is Rickey Wise." I smiled. "Rickey, this is Glenda Fitzgerald, Shaggy Rogers, and Fred Jones."

"Hi," Rickey said. At least he didn't stutter, like some guys do when they get near Fred. He is pretty intimidating, with his serious blue eyes and his serious muscleage and -

Wait, control yourself, Daphne. Soon, he might come back again. Soon, he might be yours.

Fred just nodded at Rickey. So far so good.

"Well, you guys have fun!" I said cheerfully. "I'm going to go get some punch." I quickly walked away. Hopefully Fred would find something wrong with Rickey, and come back for me.

I heard heels clicking after me. Glenda was stomping after me furiously. When I got to the refreshment table, I didn't bother trying to avoid her. She'd come screeching after me anyway.

"This is a scheme, isn't it, Blake?" Glenda snarled when she walked up to me.

I blinked innocently. "What, getting another date just to make Fred jealous so he'll dump you for me, since you're an evil witch and I love him?" I raised my eyebrows as if I thought that was ridiculous."Please, I'm not that smart. Now, if you excuse me, I've got better things to do than talk to that thing you call a face. Bye!" I waved in front of her face and walked away. My blood was rushing through my veins and I felt so good. I could feel her stunned gaze on me.

Life was pretty good right then.

To look like I knew what I was doing, I walked out of the ballroom. Rickey was probably in the bathroom, hyperventilating after meeting Fred. I wouldn't be surprised, but I'd be disappointed.

After quickly making sure my hair was okay (which was sort of stupid, since I'd only been here a few minutes, but it was force of habit, I guess), I was walking back towards the ballroom when I thought I saw movement. I hesitated for just a moment, and then I saw Alex Park walking towards me. Glenda's boyfriend. Yuck.

"What do you want?" I asked, glaring at him. I knew, in reality, I shouldn't be mad at him. He didn't know about Glenda's meanness. It wasn't really his fault. He could be a nice person for all I knew.

Then he put his hand on my shoulder. "Hey." Okay, maybe I should be mad at him.

I swatted him away. "Get away from me." I don't know why his hand action bothered me so much, but it did.

"C'mon, Glenda doesn't need to know." He smiled a smile that made my blood run cold. Then he pulled me towards him and kissed me.

The kiss was horrifyingly gross and extremely frightening at the same time. I'd never been kissed my force before, so I wasn't exactly sure what to do. I tried to push him off of me, but Alex was too strong. Okay, plan B: I kicked him as hard as I could in his spot.

"Oh, God." His stupid arms were off of me and he was doubled over in pain. "What was that for?"

Aww, revenge is sweet.

"Don't ever come near me again." I loved how strong and fearless my voice sounded, while inside I was shaking. "Just because your girlfriend is an evil, deceitful witch doesn't mean that you can go around kissing other girls! You're lucky I'm not calling the cops!" I wasn't sure if I even could call the cops for a guy I sort of knew kissing me, but no way was I going to let Alex know that.

"Wait - what do you mean deceitful?" Alex asked, confused. I didn't answer and simply walked away into the bathroom, head held high.

My hair was fine. My make-up was fine. My expression wasn't fine, but after a few moments, I was able to put on a happy mask. I needed to act happy so Fred would be jealous. You can't be jealous of someone who's crying. Well, he wasn't technically jealous of me. I've never been able to really figure out what you're jealous of when the jealousy is the relationship type. Are you jealous of the person you dated or whatever, or the person who's dating that person?

When I was finally satisfied that I looked like a girl should when she's at a party, I poked my head out of the bathroom. I was scared that I'd see Alex, waiting in the shadows, but as far as my eyes could tell, he wasn't there. Good. He could die in a hole for all I care.

The ball was still in full-swing. I spotted Fred almost instantly, standing off to the side uncomfortably as Glenda babbled to another pretty, fake blond.

I don't know what I have against blonds. Maybe it runs in the family - I know Dawn used to hate this one girl Christy Abbott so much (and she was the blondest person I knew). And Delilah used to get in fights with a blond named Constance Sparks. Or maybe it was just that blonds always wanted Fred. Marci, Alice May, that creepy waitress in Mexico... you get the picture. Not to mention half of our school.

I suppose it wasn't their fault that Fred was pretty much perfect.

Instead of going over to talk to Fred and risk death for my locket, I decided to go talk to Rickey, who was talking to Marty and Velma. I smiled to myself as I walked over. Sure, Shaggy couldn't have a girlfriend, but Velma could have a boyfriend. What a hypocrite.

I was going to kiss Rickey or something, you know, for effect, except that a man ran up onto the stage (yes, Mr. Estrada had a stage in his ballroom), yelling into a microphone, "How y'all doing tonight?" He was probably a DJ of some sort.

The crowd answered uncertaintly. Most of these people had never been to a ball before, so they all thought they had to be fancy and civilized and British or whatever. It was actually pretty funny.

"Well, I think that's good thing... anyway, we're going to play some karaoke! First up is..." He clapped his hands, and out of nowhere, a TV screen popped down from the ceiling. I guess gazillionaires keep TVs in the ceiling. The crowd was oohing and aahing. But I didn't really notice, because my name was on it.

I guess I should have known.

"Daphne Blake!" The DJ yelled my name into microphone.

"That's you!" Velma laughed. I gave her a warning glare, but it was too late: the guy had spotted me. Rats.

"C'mon up, Daphne!" The man called enthusiastically. A spotlight was shone on me. I don't know who was running it, but I silently cursed him - not with actual bad words, but you know what I mean. I smiled weakly and hurried up the stairs, blushing. I heard Velma and Shaggy and Fred cheering. I could sense Glenda glaring at me, which wasn't really out of the ordinary, but it was still mean.

"So, what do you want to sing?" He asked when I was up on the stage.

"Oh, I really don't want to at all," I said apologetically.

"I bet you do!" The man said. He had a really annoying smile.

"Oh, you'd lose that bet," I muttered.

"C'mon! You can't back down now!" He gestured to the crowd. I opened mouth to reply, but I couldn't argue. I'd look like a total loser if I chickened out now, and I couldn't look like one in front of Glenda...

Suddenly I had an idea so devious and tempting that I didn't even think about it. "Can I sing 'Better than Revenge'?" I asked.

I think the guy was surprised by my change in attitude. "Um, sure, kid." He handed me the mic and hurried off the stage, toward wherever the DJ booth was.

Another evil - and probably very stupid - idea came to mind. "Before I begin, I'd like to thank my friend Glenda Fitzgerald. This one is for you!" I smiled like a sweet little girl on TV. I'm pretty sure the crowd was loving me. I'm absolutely sure Glenda knew something was up, because in what universe would I call Glenda my friend and mean it?

The music started, and I got the cozy feeling I always got whenever I sang. I was suddenly sucked into a memory when Fred had been over and we'd been listening to the radio, and I'd started singing. And Fred had joined in, but Fred's singing sounds more like my great-uncle Kelvin when he eats something too spicy, if you know what I mean, so I'd thrown a pillow at him, and he'd crash tackled me to the ground. Then _Love Story _played and then we were kissing, and I was thinking about how beautiful my life was.

_"The story starts when it was hot and it was summer_." I started singing, hoping I didn't sound anything like Fred. But once I started, all my worries just melted away. It could have been December 21st, 2012, and I wouldn't have cared.

_"And, I had it all; I had him right there where I wanted him_

_"She came along, got him alone, and let's hear the applause_

_"She took him faster than you could say sabotage." _I looked right at Glenda on the word _sabotage_. I knew she knew what I was doing now, and I knew she didn't like it. Which makes it all the more fun for me.

_"I never saw it coming, wouldn't have suspected it_

_"I underestimated just who I was dealing with _

_"She had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum_

_"She underestimated just who she was stealing from." _Suddenly I was dancing around the stage and everyone was excited and I felt beautiful and strong and miraculous and invincible at the same time.

_"She's not a saint and she's not what you think, she's an actress, whoa_

_"She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress, whoa_

_"Soon she's gonna find stealing other people's toys on the playground won't make you many friends_

_"She should keep in mind, she should keep in mind, there is nothing I do better than revenge." _I was looking at Glenda as I was singing, but Fred was right next to her, and I noticed his eyes light up with understanding. Even occasionally thick-headed Fred got the message.

_"She looks at life like it's a party and she's on the list_

_"She looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over it_

_"I think her ever present frown is a little troubling_

_"And she thinks I'm psycho because I like to rhyme her name with things, but_

_"Sophistication isn't what you wear or who you know_

_"Or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go_

_"Oh, they don't teach you that in prep school so it's up to me_

_"But no amount of vintage dresses give you digni_ -" I was cut off by the most horrifying, gut-wrenching wailing sound I've ever heard. My fingers clenched around the microphone. Everything became still. Even the music stopped. The world was holding it's breath.

The screamer was a young girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen. She was holding a cell phone and staring at it like it was the plague or something. The room was so silent that we heard her terrified whisper. "Mario Parsons was killed. By the vampire."


	15. Shock and Sacrifice

_**Hey, **_**_Cierra. Things are getting pretty intense. And Mario Parsons died? Who was he again? Was he part of the group who did the project, or was he a random stranger? _**

**_No news, really. Oh, after I finish this chapter I'm going to publish a piece of dialouge that I'd written for a story long ago. I don't really like the story, but I love the dialouge. Sweet yet funny. Hope you guys like it!_**

**Chapter Fifteen:**

**Shock and Sacrifice**

You know how, when something bad, _really _bad, happens, everything is frozen still for a split second? Everyone stays silent, trying to cling onto the previous five minutes, hoping that if they don't say anything, what they're suddenly living in won't exist?

It was like that. For half a second, everyone stayed still, mouths open in shock. The words didn't make sense in my head. They were just meaningless letters that I couldn't translate.

And then a girl, maybe eighteen, screamed. "Oh, God, we're dead!" And then the room errupted into noise like a train screeching on a frosty track.

I had to go find the gang. Had to go find them _now_, and figure out why this was happening, when it shouldn't be. We'd solved the mystery. That's always the end of it. The vampire was in jail, unless -

I swallowed heavily. Oh, God. We'd been wrong, and it'd cost Mario Parsons his life. I tried to remember if he was one of the people that Jody and Bob and Audrey had worked with, but my mind was blank with fear and guilt.

Before I could go anywhere, though, the lights went out. And I mean _really_ out. The room was pitch black and I felt like there was so much darkness that I was drowning in it.

But then I felt someone tap my shoulder. I couldn't help but scream, though I doubt anyone heard me. _Everyone_ was screaming. But that wasn't even the scary part.

"Fred's in danger," A voice whispered. I froze. "He could be dead if you don't hurry. Go through the backstage trapdoor. Hurry." Then the lights came back on, and I whirled around. No one was there. Maybe I was hallucinating. _Hopefully_ I was hallucinating. Only one way to be sure. Terrified, desperately, I looked for Fred. Oh, God, please -

He wasn't there.

I suddenly realized that I was still standing on the stage. What was I doing? I had to save Fred. I whipped around and started running toward a small, reclusive door at the back of the stage.

"Daphne!" For one glorious moment, I thought the voice was Fred's. But it was just Rickey, running towards me with a worried expression on his face. "What are you doing?"

"Fred's been kidnapped!" I gasped. I sounded strangled. I'm surprised he didn't slap me. "I've got to save him!"

"Daphne, by yourself? We'll call the police, c'mon -" He tried to tug me away, but I didn't move.

"No. Rickey, I'm sorry, but I _have_ to go. Go find Velma and tell her I need her. Please!" I gave him a push in what I thought was Velma's general direction, then flung the door open and hurried inside.

The room was dingy and dark, but the trapdoor was easy to find. Just a plain old regular trapdoor smack-dab in the middle of the floor. I threw the door open. There was a ladder leading down into the pitch black, and suddenly I felt like I was choking. Could I really go down into that darkness, which made the black-out a few minutes seem comforting, to search for Fred who was probably with the vampire? I couldn't possibly be that brave.

But I had to. For Fred. I guess love's stupid like that.

I gingerly put my foot on the first latter rung. Then the other one. It held. So far so good. Taking a deep breath, I moved my foot down a rung.

And so on I went, step by step. I don't the ladder was that long at all - maybe twelve feet - but it seemed miles and miles deep to me. The mind can be pretty darn dumb.

My feet finally - to me, anyway - touched the ground. I took a deep breath in relief, and in preparation for whatever was to come. It was then I noticed that I could see. What little light coming from the trapdoor had died a long time ago (I'd had to stop halfway down the ladder to convince myself that the dark wasn't scary).

And the light wasn't a constant light, either. It was fluttering and flickering... like a fire. For about three seconds, I had myself convinced that I was going to burn to death down here, but then I told myself that was illogical. And then I saw a torch sticking out from the wall, like the ones in Indiana Jones or other stupid action movies.

At first, I was just relieved there was light. But then I realized that someone must have been down here not too long ago to light it. Great. I wasn't alone.

Like they do in the movies, I took the fire torch thing and held it out in front of me, shining light on the dark tunnel. It appeared to be just a normal tunnel, without any tunnels branching off. Well, it's now or never. I began walking.

The tunnel went straight for a while, then it veered off to the right. It got pretty low here, too, so low that I was crouching down on my knees. If I hadn't been so scared and worried sick, I'd be super annoyed that my shoes were getting all dirty. And my dress - I didn't even want to think about my dress. Ick.

The tunnel eventually got higher again, and before I noticed, I was walking out into the cool night air. I stood there for a moment, adjusting to the difference in light and air. And then I noticed that I wasn't really outside. I was just in a little cavern, except with a huge hole in the cavern ceiling, which was where the fresh air was coming from. Two tunnels, besides the one I had come out of, lead off of the room.

Before I could decide which tunnel to take, I heard something that definitly didn't belong in a cave. First of all, it was a human voice. Secondly, it was calling my name. And, it was Fred's voice.

I stood stock-still, stunned, then in a trembling voice, I called out, "Freddie?"

"Daph?" The voice was a little echoish because of the caves, but I was a hundred and _ten_ percent sure it was Fred. "Keep talking, I'm following your voice."

"Okay, um, well, I'm really glad you're not dead and all, or kidnapped or whatever. And we know Doris can't be the vampire. Because Mario is... well, dead." I swallowed. "So I guess we were wrong about Doris. Shaggy will be relieved." As long as we were in desperate danger, and talking about relationships, I might as well tell him about Glenda. "Oh, and Fred? I don't know how to say this, but Glenda... well, she's a deceitful, mean, twisted witch who already has a deceitful, mean, twisted boyfriend."

"I know," Fred said, and then he crawled out of the tunnel. "He came up to us and -"

"Fred!" I practically jumped on him in my excitement, wrapping my arms around his neck. His arms were around me, and the moon was shining on us. I realized then how perfectly romantic this situation was.

"I thought you were kidnapped?" Fred asked when I let go, trying to hide his concern. For a moment, it felt like any other day, when Fred pretends to be the big, macho guy we _all_ know he isn't.

"Me? _You _were the one kidnapped!" I cried. Then I realized what must have happened. Oh, God. "It's a trap."

"What?" Fred stared at me. I could almost hear his heart speed up. "Daph, it can't be!"

"Fred, c'mon! You thought they had me, I thought they had you. Someone told you that I was kidnapped during the black-out, right?" Fred nodded, realization creeping into his face. "Someone wants us all together. We have to get out of here!" I pulled on his arm, half-hysterical with fear. Until now, I hadn't know exactly what the vampire was capable of. I knew he'd killed, but it's not like it had really affected me. I'd seen what it had done to Karla, and I'd been able to sympathize, but I don't think I'd really gotten the full effect. But now it was staring us in the face and I was scared. So, so scared.

"But Velma and Shaggy and Scooby aren't here," Fred tried to reassure me - or was it himself?

Anyway, it didn't matter, since we then heard Velma's voice ringing through the caves. "Fred? Daph?"

"Velma! Over -" I clamped my hand over Fred's mouth.

"Fred, I seriously think we should stay split up. I have a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach," I hissed.

Fred gently peeled my hand off of his mouth. "We'll just lead them to us and then get the heck out of here. Promise." Fred's eyes were trying to comfort me, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to be comforted into letting the rest of the gang meet up with us.

After a moment, I sighed. Fred's big blue eyes would win in the end. "Okay, I guess."

Fred smiled a little, then called, "Velma, just follow my voice! Daph's here, too, but she's freaking out - she thinks it's a trap."

"Fred Jones, you'd better not be making fun of me," I muttered.

"Yeah, Frederick," A chilling voice coming from one of the tunnels made us freeze. "After all, she is right."

Then the voice's owner stepped into the moonlight. It was a huge monster of a human. In one of his hands was Velma's tiny little arm, which was still, thankfully, attached to Velma herself. That'd be bad if it wasn't_. Really _bad. Her eyes were begging for forgiveness.

In his other hand, he was holding Shaggy by his shirt and Scooby by his collar. The man smiled. "Surprised?" I could only stare at him in horror.

He carelessly tossed Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby onto the dirt in front of me and Fred. I wasted no time in helping them up.

"Sorry!" Velma, unemotional Velma, was sobbing as I pulled her up. "I'm so sorry! He made me, he was going to kill Scooby!" I realized that her calling out to us was a trap. I glanced at the other tunnels, but now they, too, were blocked by big, muscular men. Great.

Shaggy stood up a little unsteadily. "Fred, Doris didn't do it!"

Fred rolled his eyes almost inperceptibly. "I know."

"Rit ras Rister Restrada!" Scooby yelped.

"What?" I gasped.

"Impossible," Velma muttered.

"No, he's right," A voice said. I was getting pretty sick of voices coming from nowhere, but this time, it had a visible owner. Surprise, surprise: it was Mr. Estrada, a creepy smiled plastered on his face.

"It was you?" I whispered.

"Of course," Fred groaned suddenly. "We should have know. What's Estrada spelled backwards?"

"Adartse," Velma murmured. She'd stopped crying but was sniffling like crazy. "As in Neil Adartse."

"But, like, he's in jail!" Shaggy pointed out hopefully.

Mr. Estrada growled, and not just a growl that writers use to say someone was really angry. I mean growled like a wolf circling for the kill. "Neil Adartse is my brother, moron. My real name is Lewis Adartse."

"Rour rother?" Scooby cried.

"But that means Glenda and Doris and Patty are your nieces!" I cried.

"Oh, Daphne. Looks like we have some explaining to do before the big event, don't we?" Mr. Estrada said, sitting down on a rock. I didn't know what the big event was, but I knew I wouldn't like it.

"I suppose you children remember the case of the ghost of little Rosemary Huff?" Mr. Estrada asked.

"Well, yeah," Fred said warily. "That guy, Ryan Patrick, I think, was going around scaring the heck out of people in the middle of the night so he could steal their wallets when they ran out of the house. He was a _whackjob_."

"That whackjob, Mr. Jones, was my brother," Mr. Estrada said icily. "Ryan Patrick was a fake name of his. You see, Neil Adartse was well wanted for murdering twenty-seven people. Luckily for him, all the police had to work with was a fuzzy picture that could have been my brother or George Washington. But when your meddling got him arrested, they realized that they had their mass-murderer right in their hands. He was sentenced to a life in prison. However, the police didn't know Neil as well as they thought they did. He escaped from prison just a year later, and came straight to me.

"Neil wanted one thing: revenge against you stupid kids. Before, however, we could even think of a scheme, those blasted high schoolers got him arrested again, and this time we both knew he wasn't getting out. He died three months later. So, I vowed to get even with both you and the kids who did the project on him that got him arrested. But how? Well, you seemed to have fun solving mysteries. I thought I'd create one for you. The vampire costume was an old Halloween costume. I killed Audrey, and then, when everything had calmed down just a little, I caused the car accident that killed Bob and Jody. That was simple enough. Then I enlisted the help of Leroy Floyd and Melody Sandoval -"

"They were in on it, too?" Fred whispered.

"Oh, yes. They didn't know I was killing everyone, though; they simply thought I wanted to pull a prank on you. Melody wanted to get closer to Fred, and Leroy to Daphne - he was the man on the train, too."

"Knew it," I grumbled. Then I realized something. "Leroy was looking for a gold tooth, like Melody's necklace, and you had lots of those gold teeth in your study!"

"Ahh, that's because a while ago, the waterpark that creates them accidentally made five hundred of those out of real gold. A strange old millionaire from Canada named Allan Clayton is willing to pay me a million dollars for all of them - he collects rarites. As well as trying to get revenge against you, I've been collecting the real gold ones. It just so happens that Daphne had the last one I needed." Mr. Estrada shrugged. "But I'll get it when you're dead."

_Dead._ I took a step back, shocked, stumbled over thin air and landed on the ground. I couldn't find it in me to get up.

"Anyway, when you came, I turned off the lights during dinner using a remote control that controlled the lights, which Patty's friend Floyd had made for me the other day, not knowing what it would be used for. The candelights came on by themselves through use of the same remote. Oh, and that note that dropped down - that was hanging on the chandelier before dinner even started. I simply tugged on the chandelier using a small, clear string I'd had the butler hook up the day before, and viola! Instant mystery."

"But what about the headline on my computer? And the newspaper? It said that Neil was still alive, but then they found his body." Velma pointed out. At least _someone_ had recovered.

"I created both of those," Mr. Estrada explained. He was grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I needed you to suspect Doris, so you'd think the mystery is solved, and go to the ball, and hear about how I killed Mario Parsons."

"But, like, if you're Neil's brother, than how did your daughter take care of Doris and the rest?" Shaggy asked.

"Oh, that. Well, I forgot to add that I'm nineteen years older than Neil. Neil didn't marry my daughter, either - I made that part up. When Neil was taken away, he was fourty and I was fifty-nine. His children were given to me to raise, but my daughter, who was thirty-nine at the time, took over. The girls, who'd never really know who their mother was, accepted Kimberly as their mother. When Kimberly and Joey - her husband - died, they stayed with me."

Something suddenly came over me. I don't know whether it was the way he talked about Kimberly - so carelessly - or the way he smiled or the utter unfairness of it. The reason didn't matter, though, because I was abruptly furious. I pulled myself off the ground and marched right up to that old man and then I was screaming in his face.

"I can't believe this!" I shouted. "So what? You're just going to kill us because your stupid brother went to jail? He deserved it! He killed people! Innocent people who had lives and dreams and futures and you feel bad for him! You're a sick person, Lewis Adartse. You're a liar and a monster and I'm so mad at you that I could kill you, but -"

Suddenly, Velma screamed, and I looked up to see one of the men blocking the tunnels almost upon me, running with a knife pointed towards me. Oh, God. I didn't even have time to blink.

And then I was shoved roughly out of the way and I heard Fred groan in pain. My head smacked the ground hard, but I managed to sit up dizzily. There was Fred, crumpled on the ground. I made a choking sound.

This was so much worse than being stabbed.

"Now, it's time for the event." Mr. Estrada said. He sounded like he was a teacher announcing a pop quiz, not an old man announcing our deaths. "Thanks to Fred and Daphne, it's more dramatic than I'd bargained for. It's a good thing I like drama -"

"There's a tunnel open!" Velma suddenly shrieked. And then chaos broke out. Shaggy grabbed my arm and started yanking me along, dispite my feeble protests. The men lunged for us, but Velma in her urgency and Shaggy in his desperation and Scooby in his innocent terror were too fast. They burst through the one tunnel not blocked by buff, angry men, me running uncertaintly after them.

"What about Fred?" I puffed out.

"We have to go back for him," Velma gasped. "They won't pay any attention to him since he's hurt."

"Rut Red right rie!" Scooby wailed. "Re ras really rurt! Re ras reeding!"

"Velma!" I cried.

"Like, c'mon!" Shaggy pulled on my arm again. "We'll stop as soon as we can and talk."

The tunnel was dark and forbidding, and our gasping breath and pounding feet made it seem smaller than it really was. I heard shouts and grunts coming from behind us, and knew the big, scary men were still after us. I guess it was dumb, but you can't help but hope.

You _have_ to hope.

**_Okay, I hope you guys liked this chapter. It's a bit intense, in case you haven't noticed. Also, for those of you who bothered to read my fail of a story, the one where Fred also got stabbed, before I deleted it, you will probably feel that scene is slightly familar. However, the whole Fred sacrifcing himself for Daphne thing started with this story. This was the first scene I thought of in the story. That's all :D_**


	16. Pushes and Plunges

**_Hey, guys. Wow, it's kind of hard to believe, but this is the second to last chapter. It's kind of incredible. _**

**_I would tell you all to review, but I'm so excited to publish this chapter that I don't care! Hope you like!_**

**Chapter Sixteen:**

**Push and Plunge  
**

_"_Look!" Velma suddenly gasped. She pointed to a tunnel veering off to the right.

"Rurry!" Scooby yelped, speaking the thought on all of our minds. We darted into the tunnel, giving our hearts a rest, even though I was certain my heart would keep on beating wildly. I was painfully aware that Fred wasn't here to make a plan or to state the obvious or to distract me with beautiful blue eyes -

"Daphne!" Shaggy's voice jolted me into the cold reality that was my life right now. "We need to think of a plan."

"I'm going back for Fred," I said before anyone could tell me not to.

Velma studied me for a moment, then nodded. "All right."

"Re too!" Scooby agreed. "Ri'll ro rith Raphne."

"Scoob!" Shaggy complained.

Velma gave him a whithering look. "Honestly, Shaggy, Scooby is his own person. He can do what he wants."

"Well, I know that, but I always go with Scooby."

"Why would he even want to go with you after you abandoned him for your stupid girlfriend?"

"She's not stupid!"

"Rell, rou rind rof rid rabandon re, Rhaggy."

"Scoob!"

"Guys, honestly?" That was me. I hated what the terrible stress was doing to us. And Fred needed us to work together, otherwise he'd - _Don't think about it, _I warned myself. Don't think about the impossible. I ignored the voice in my head telling me quietly that it was plenty possible, and that, even worse, it was likely. If I let myself think that, I don't know what I'd hold on to.

Velma took a deep breath. "Sorry. Okay, so you and Scooby will go rescue Fred. Me and Shaggy will, um -"

"Get the heck out of here," Shaggy suggested.

"Shaggy -"

"No, it's a good idea," I agreed quickly. "I mean, our main goal is to get out alive, then call the police. We can't expect to trap this guy. We already know they have knives, and they probably have guns. I just want to get Fred and go home."

Velma hesitated. "Daphne, I don't know -"

"Look, if you guys get out sooner and call the cops, they'll be more chance of me and Fred and Scoob not, you know... _dying_." I sucked in a deep breath.

"Fine," Velma sighed. "I guess this is good -"

"Don't say it," I interrupted, fear pounding into me suddenly. "We'll see each other again, right? We don't need to say good-bye."

Shaggy gulped. "Like, I sure hope so."

* * *

The entire way back to the open-roofed cavern, I was calm. I didn't worry about Fred, didn't worry about Shaggy, didn't worry about Velma, didn't worry about Scooby, didn't worry about me. I just grimly concentrated on getting back to Fred, rescuing him, and getting out of here to some place where things made sense and didn't make me want to throw up.

But, when I started to see the light from the hole in the roof, and I saw Fred, slumped on the ground, all sense of calm escaped me. It took every once of willpower in me not to burst in there and shake Fred until he wakes up. If this was a movie, he'd come back to life just as I had accepted he had died. But this isn't a movie, and Fred would probably be dead for real. I winced at the thought.

"Rhat row?" Scooby whimpered.

"We have to make sure there's no one there," I whispered. "Can you smell anyone, Scooby?"

Scooby took a deep whiff. "Rope," he decided.

"Good. Let's save Fred and go." I stepped cautiously out of the tunnel. Instantly, I felt horribly exposed, as if everyone who wanted me and my friends dead could see me.

I hurried over to where Fred was lying. I crouched down, struggling not to burst into childish sobs. Emotion was a luxury I couldn't afford right now. "Freddie? Can you hear -" and then his arm fell off of his side, and I could only stare in horror. He was bleeding. "Oh, God." I closed my eyes, my terrible fear of blood taking control of everything.

"Raphne, are rou rokay?" Scooby asked.

I slowly opened my eyes. Fred was still bleeding. And the the real terror of it sank in. Fred. Bleeding. Oh my God, he was going to die. I couldn't flinch away from words like that now.

"Quick, Scooby, help me wake him up." I cried, remembering just in time to keep my voice low. Ignoring his blood, I patted Fred's shoulder. I wasn't really sure if this was what you were supposed to do, but at the moment, I didn't care.

"Red, Red? Re rotta ro!" Scooby mumured as he shook Fred's shoulder gently. Then Scooby looked at me. "Raybe rou roud rive rim routh-to-rough?"

I resisted rolling my eyes. "That's if he isn't breathing, and I think he is. Fred, c'mon!" He moaned a little, and that was all.

"Re's really rurt, Raphne," Scooby said. "Ri ron't rhink re ran rove."

"Well, we'll just have to carry him," I said, feeling stupid that I hadn't thought of it before. "Quick, Scoob -" And then we froze, because we heard voices, echoey, shadowy voices from the tunnels. I groaned inwardly, my mind struggling to come up with a solution fast enough.

"Ri'll ristract rhem," Scooby said bravely. "Rave Red."

"Scooby!" I protested in a hushed whisper.

"Ro, Raphne!" Then he put a paw on my shoulder. "Rou're a rood rhiend. Rell Raggy Ri rove rim."

My heart was breaking inside of me, but I smiled shakily. "I will. You're the best dog a girl could wish for."

Then Scooby gave me a lick and ran down a tunnel, toward the voices. I weakly got up. I didn't know how much strength I had left in me, but I had to try. Grunting, I pulled Fred to his feet. Oh my God, this was going to be impossible. We were going to die and it'd all be my stupid fault, because I was too weak to lift up Fred. And then I saw his blood up against me and almost felt too sick to stand.

But then I heard shouts mixed in with barks, and then the pressure set in. I don't know how I did it, but then I was half-pushing, half-dragging Fred out of the cavern and through the tunnel, toward where I'd last seen Shaggy and Velma. Please, I prayed silently as I worked my way out, please let them call the police. Please let them be alive.

I might have gone ten meters when three things happened. One: I heard the voices behind me. That's when I knew we were dead. Two: I could make out the end of the tunnel. Three: Fred spoke.

"Daph?" He mumbled. It was the most beautiful mumble I'd ever heard.

"Oh, thank God," I muttered. "Fred, can you hear me? We have to get out of here! We're going to die if we don't get moving, and I can't pull you all the way! Mr. Estrada -"

"Mr. Estrada?" That snapped Fred into reality. He stood up a little and tried to run, but groaned.

"There they are!" Those three words will haunt me for the rest of my life. I panicked.

"Fred, c'mon!" I was half-screaming in his ear. I yanked on his arm roughly and started to pull him faster towards the light. I didn't even care anymore if I was hurting him. We had to get out of here or die.

But then someone grabbed my shoulder and twisted me around, away from Fred. I screamed at the same time I kicked him. Convinently, I had kicked him right in the crotch - well, convinently for me, not so much for him. He gasped, and I wasted no time. I ran up aheard, grabbed Fred, and started pulling him along. I heard more people behind me but I didn't care.

Fred was starting to come to, sort of. He was trying to run and gasping and wheezing and I was so afraid that he'd drop dead at my feet. And then we were outside and it was raining buckets and we were running -

I skidded to a halt. "Stop!" The rocks my feet had kicked up tumbled down into the dark water below. Somehow, we'd managed to go down the one tunnel that comes out on a cliff over the scariest water I'd ever seen.

"Daph, we're... dead..." Fred managed to say, in between his gasping breaths.

"No, we're not!" I said furiously. My eyes darted around in the night, trying to find a way out. It was like the old story about going on a bear hunt - we couldn't go back, we couldn't go forwards -

"Yes!" The idea was so frightening that I almost got rid of it immediately, but then I remembered the fear was also something I didn't have time for. "Fred, we have to jump." I wasn't even sure if he was aware that we were on a cliff.

"Daph, are you... crazy?" Fred choked out. "I won't... let you."

"Well, it's that or stay here. Honestly, I've lost hope, and if I have to die, I'd want to drown." I had once read that drowning was the easiest way to go. "They'll just shoot us. Please, Fred, you've got to trust me."

Fred hesitated. I realized how gray his face was, how his hand was clutching his side, how the blood seeped around his fingers. I realized that Fred was dying. I couldn't even make myself feel sick. Then he took a deep breath. "Daphne, before we die, I'm just going to say that -"

But Fred never got to finish his sentence, because then men burst out onto the cliff. Before anything could happen, I shouted, "Now!"

"I don't know -"

And then I did the most horrible thing. I pushed him.

I don't know where the strength to do that came from. One second Fred's face was in front of me, beautiful even when in pain, rain wetting down his hair and dripping off of his eyelashes, and the next my hands were on his shoulders and I was pushing him with what little strength I had left, tears streaming down my face. I heard him yell, and it was more than I could handle. My mind was about to explode. What I needed was a nice cup of hot cocoa.

What I really needed was a long stay in a mental hospital, but I was feeling lousy enough as it was. Didn't need to admit that I had _issues_ right then.

Before I could leap after Fred, someone grabbed my arm, pulling me back. "Let me go!" I sobbed. I didn't even care how cliche and damsel-in-distress I sounded. "Please!"

Then the strangest thing happened. Whoever was gripping my arm just let go. It only took me a split second to run to the edge of the cliff and leap. For another split second, I was extremely grateful, but then the fall whooshed upon me and I was screaming.

It was exhilarting and terrifying at the same time. The night air stung my cheeks as it whipped by me - even though technically I was the one whippng past the air. Then I plunged into the water.

Let me just say that it was freezing. I was closing my eyes and I was freezing and I couldn't find the surface and I was going to drown - and then my head burst through the surface of the water. I gasped and choked and gagged and sobbed all at the same time.

"Hold on!" Someone yelled. I was past caring.

But then someone was pulling up - though I didn't know where up was - and I was screaming and kicking. Whoever was holding onto me pulled me into a boat of somesort, and I stopped kicking and just huddle there, suddenly drained. My eyes were still closed. I was afraid if I opened them, I'd see something I didn't want to see.

"That's Rickey's friend!" A familar girl's voice cried. The voice was what made me open my eyes, and when I did, I wasn't sure if I was seeing right. In front of me, Pocahontas Roy was sitting - Rickey's beautiful friend - and a man who could only be her father. Beside him was a body, and everyone was rocking -

I realized that the body was Fred, and it wasn't just a body - at least, that's what I was telling myself, and everything was rocking because we were in a little rowboat. It was still raining. I was shuddering violently.

"Pocahontas?" I murmured.

"Omigod, you're okay - it's Daphne, right?" Her brown eyes are wide with shocked concern. I nod, lacking the energy to do anything more elaborate.

"Okay, don't worry. I called 911 and they should be on the beach. We found this guy, too - do you know who he is?" Pocahontas asked.

"Fred," I mumbled.

"Oh, well, I think he's alive..." Her words faded into nothingness, and I gladly sank into the darkness that enfolded me. My last thoughts were, _Please let him be alive_.

I didn't feel the need to specify which _him_. Fred was the only _him_ on my mind right then, and he always will be.


	17. Welcome Home and Why Not

_**Ahh! Final Chapter? Noo! I know, I'm sad, too! I had so much fun writing this. Well, not really. Writing is tough work that keeps you up bleary-eyed. Writing can drive you insane, but at the same time complete you.**_

_**Sorry. Wanted to get all sentimental there. I haven't checked my traffic in a while, so I'll let you know how many people have read this story when I publish the epilogue - that's right, epilogue. I decided there were some loose ends I needed to tie up. Hopefully this makes y'all happy (couldn't resist saying y'all). **_

_**Anyway, here it goes!**_

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Welcome Home and Why Not**

The beeping of a heart monitor somewhere eventually woke me up. I wondered if waking up meant I wasn't dead, then decided that for the moment I didn't care.

I was in a hospital, or at least, that's what it looked like. White walls, white floor, lumpy bed, the hushed whispers of nurses and the skidding of wheels on linoleum.

I tried sitting up. It didn't hurt, which wasn't exactly a surprise, since I don't remember actually getting hurt -

Then I remembered last night's events. _Events_ being a relative term, seeing as it was less of an _event_ and more of a _massacre_. I groaned.

"Honey, are you okay?" The most comforting voice in the world asked. I almost started wailing right then and there.

"Mommy!" I cried. My mom was by my side now, beautiful even when she hadn't brushed her hair or when she had deep circles under her eyes.

"Oh, Daphne, I was so worried!" I thought Mom was gonna start crying and this made me feel ridiculously guilty, as if it was my fault that I was sitting here in a hospital.

"Is Daddy here?" I asked.

"Yes, he's in the bathroom. Daisy is here, too, and her fiancee." I winced almost unnoticably. After surviving a near-death experience, I still did not have any sudden urge to appreciate my soon-to-be-brother-in-law.

It was then that it fully hit me: I _survived_. For a split second, I was relieved, for a split second, I was triumphant (take that, everyone who thought I was helpless!), for a split second, I was scared, though I couldn't remember why, and then I was terrified, and I knew why.

"Mom!" I gasped, the words I wanted to say nearly choking me.

"Daphne? Honey, what's wrong?" Mom was gripping my hand intensely.

"Mom, where's Fred and Velma and Shaggy and Scooby? Are they... _here_?" That last question was the best way I could ask _are they dead_ without directly asking. I didn't want a direct answer. I wasn't sure if I wanted an answer at all.

"Velma's fine, sweetie. She says she tripped over a branch on the way out of that tunnel, but other than that, she's fine. Shaggy's okay, too. Just in shock."

"And Fred? And Scooby?" I asked impatiently. I realized with horror that I'd just left Scooby to die. Oh my God. If he was dead, I'd... I don't know what I'd do.

"Fred, I think he's okay. He got stabbed, and had to get stitches. He's still asleep, last time I check. Velma told me that he got hurt saving you?" Mom's eyebrows arched in that way they do whenever she is asking about guys. Except it was a little different, since usually Mom's asking if I liked a guy while she was in my bedroom, not why a guy would take a knife for me while I was in a hospital.

"Oh, yeah," I mumbled. I wasn't really embarressed - it was just my mom - but the fact that Fred had risked certain-death for me was a little more than confusing, and it had me tied up in knots. "And Scooby? Scooby's fine, right?"

"Scooby - the dog? I haven't seen Scooby since you left for Wirrawee." Mom said worriedly. Her words felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. Oh. My. God. I killed Scooby. And I wasn't even crying. What kind of friend was I, sitting here, calmly realizing that one of my best friends was dead? At least I had the proper respect to lose the ability to speak. I lied back down, trembling.

Before Mom could attempt - and fail - to comfort me, a man with Harry Potter glasses, a bald head, and a white doctor's coat stepped into the room. "Oh, good, you're awake. I was just coming to check on you." I nodded dumbly.

"You were very lucky, Miss Blake," The doctor told me, his eyes glancing at at clipboard in his hand. "Your worst injury is a scraped knee. A few bruises here and there - some of them are pretty bad - but all in all, you're in pretty good shape. I'd say I could even send you home right now, I think."

"Oh, good," Mom breathed for me. I still wasn't able to respond.

"Of course, the police are going to want a word with you. Miss Dinkley has told them all she knows, but they still need to get the whole story."

"Did they catch the men?" I was finally able to say.

"You bet they did. Thanks to Miss Dinkley and Mr Rogers, who called 911 only a few minutes after they lost sight of you, apparently." The doctor smiled in what was supposed to be a reassuring manner, but I was not reassured. After all, I was a dog-murderer.

He yawned. "Sure has been a busy night. First you four show up, although thank goodness you were mostly all okay, and now there's some dog barking at the main doors, insisting we let him in -"

"_What_?" I shrieked, flying up. "A dog?"

The doctor frowned at my reaction. "Yes, a big Great Dane, by the looks of him. I already called animal control -"

"You _what_?" I shrieked again. The doctor dropped his clipboard in surprise.

"Miss Blake, is something the matter -" The doctor started to ask, but I was leaping out of bed. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to do this, and I didn't care.

"Mr. Doctor sir, that's _my_ dog!" I cried. "Where is he?"

He blinked. "Still by the front doors, Miss, but -" And then I ran out of the room. I didn't care that I was only wearing a hospital gown, or that my hair was a wreck or that I was barefoot. I just had to find out if this dog was Scooby.

Luckily for me, the hospital has those signs all over the place telling you where to go, like the airport. In a matter of minutes, I was running through the lobby, past all of the gaping mouths, and through the door.

There was an animal control van, and beside it was a dogcatcher, and in his hands was a struggling Scooby Doo.

"Scooby Doo!" I screamed. The guy looked at me in confusion, and in doing so his grip loosened on Scooby. Scooby mad dashed over to me and jumped up and was licking my face and I was laughing and crying at the same time.

"Raphne!" He was yelping. "Raphne, rhere's Rhaggy and Red and Relma? Rare rhey rokay?"

I croched down so he didn't have to jump to be eye level with me. "Yeah, Scooby. They're okay. We're gonna be okay."

* * *

Two weeks later, my mom held a dinner party for us. To thank us, I guess, and welcome us back. I wasn't really looking forward to it - I mean, look how the last party in our honor ended - but I hadn't seen the gang since I'd checked out of the hospital. I'd talked to them, thought - well, everyone but Fred. I called his house and his step-mom picked up and told me icily that Fred wasn't well enough to talk to me. I think she specifically meant _me_, too. I didn't call again after that.

But I got to talk to Velma, and Shaggy. Velma's parents were cool with the whole vampire thing, actually. "They were asking me all these questions, like 'How did you feel when you found out Mr. Estrada had been tricking you all this time?' I think they're glad this whole thing happened, so they can write a book about it and become multimillionaires. Just watch." I'd been satisfied, after I hung up, that Velma's sense of humor wasn't shattered into pieces.

Shaggy's parents were okay, too. They apparently just took the whole thing as an excuse to buy him and Scooby a lot of cool stuff, like a popcorn machine and a circus-shaped-waffle maker. The Rogers sure do know their son.

My parents, on the other hand, were absolutely horrible. Dad gave me a day of rest, and then he told me bluntly the next day that I wasn't allowed to solve anymore mysteries. Mom agreed with him, I think, although she didn't say anything. Let's just say that conversation did not go well for either of us. Dad didn't give in and I didn't give in, and I never will. Mysteries are what define me as a person.

Of course, I have a feeling that he probably won't back down, either.

Anyway, when the Dinkley's car rolled up to my house on September 23rd, I screamed and ran down the steps from our big front doors like an over excited fan-girl. "Velma!"

Velma hopped out of the car. "Daphne!" She ran up to me and hugged me. "Jinkies, it feels like forever, doesn't it?"

"I know! Oh, hi Mr. Dinkley," I added when Velma's dad hurrying up behind her. I wasn't surprised when he gave me a big hug, too. I _am_ lovable.

Plus, he was probably relieved that his daughter's best friend hadn't been killed or whatever. That's something to consider, too.

Shaggy and Scooby arrived a few moments later. Shaggy ran up to give me and Velma hugs, told us that it was - and I quote - totally groovy to see us, and then asked us where the refreshments were. Scooby just asked where the refreshments were. Me and Velma had burst into laughter - ridiculous laughter over something that isn't even that funny. The kind of laughter I associate with Fred.

Speaking of a certain boy who I was passionatly in love with and who had taken a knife for me, Fred got there just twenty minutes later. When we saw his car pull up through the window, we all screamed again (well, except for Shaggy - his mouth was stuffed with potato salad or something) and ran through the front doors.

Fred was climbing out of the car and when he saw us running toward him like maniacs, he left the car door open and ran up to us like we were footballs at his big championship thing.

"Fred!" I yelled and practically jumped on him. I don't think he minded, though - at least, that's what my confused, delusional heart was telling me ferociously.

"Like, dude, your still standing." Shaggy congratulated him. "I thought, you know, after you took that knife -" I then whirled my head around to mouth _no_ at Shaggy, who thankfully took the hint. I've _always_ wanted someone to bring up how my ex-boyfriend saved my life in order to make everything totally awkward. Not.

Luckily, Fred didn't seem to notice how Shaggy gulped and cut off suddenly. "No, I'm fine. The doctor said the stitches come out next week." I winced. _Stitches_. And Fred was probably down-playing everything, being the beautiful person he is. Drat him for making me feel guilty.

Then we were called inside by my mom, and we all sat down at our fancy dining table with like forty other people who I didn't know. I noticed my dad's eyes narrowed when I sat down next to Fred, but I ignored it. Dad could ruin my life whenever he wanted, but not when my friends were around.

Everything was going fine until the main course. Fred was talking to Justin Bridges, a freshman on his football team, about kids they'd played, and I was listening to them, watching Fred's face as he talked.

And then Justin said something so stupid that if I were him, I'd be mentally kicking myself for all of eternity. They were talking, and then Justin said, "There was this one kid, I think his name was Mario Parsons, and he was incredible. Colleges were already looking at him when he was in seventh grade."

Fred froze, and because of that, I froze. I watched as his expression changed to regret and guilt, and then he silently rose from the table and walked calmly through the doors into the garden. With a stricken glance at Velma, I hurried after him.

He was standing by the fountain behind my house, watching the stars. He looked like he was trying not to break down right there.

"Fred, it's not your fault," I called as I ran over. Fred didn't seem surprised or disappointed that I was there, although he didn't quite look happy, either.

"I should have figured it out," He muttered to himself.

"Fred, we _all_ should have figured it out."

"I'm as good as a murderer." Fred said, still talking to himself.

Frustrated, I let him have it. "Fred Jones Jr., you listen to me. Were you the only one trying to solve the mystery? No! Were you the only one who was wrong? No! I have no patience for you and your guilt."

Fred smiled sadly, and he finally looked at me. "Daph, I was friends with Mario. We used to play football together in my backyard until I was eleven."

"Oh," I whispered. "Oh, Fred, I'm sorry -"

"Nuh-uh," he said, putting a finger to my lips. My whole body tingled. "Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault, and besides, you saved my life. Which reminds me, thank you." He picked up my hand and held it gently.

I was too furious to care that he was holding my hand. "I saved your life? Are you insane? Fred, I pushed you off a cliff, and you're thanking me! Fred, you took a knife for me. Do you know how incredible that is? Do you know how many girls would kill to have a hot guy take a knife for them?" I realized I'd called Fred hot, which would be awkward looking back at it later, but I wasn't in the mood to be embarressed. Then I thought of something. "Fred, this is going to sound weird, but.. can I see where you were, you know, _hurt_?"

Fred's eyebrows rasied, but he said nothing and lifted off his shirt. I didn't even pay attention to his _abs_ when I saw the huge wound in his left side. Even stitched and cleaned up, it made me want to drop to my knees and throw up. "Oh my God. It's all my fault."

"Daphne, don't be ridiculous -"

"If I'm not allowed to blame myself for the giant hole in your side which you saved me from, then you can't blame yourself for a vampire killing Mario. I owe you one, Fred. Like, one, as in one _million_. Why were you thanking me? You're the one who's the hero! What did I do?" I was in full-rant mode now.

Fred was serious, but his eyes were shining, like Fred-eyes always do when they're really happy. "Yeah, but when I was saving you, I wasn't risking your life in the process. You risked my life in the process of saving me."

This made no sense. "And you're saying you are grateful that I risked your life?"

Fred smiled, a real smile this time. "I'm saying that only people with true courage could do that, Daph."

My face slowly turned pink, as I slowly took in the massive compliment Fred had just paid me. "Well, you saved mine first," I mumbled stubbornly. "So _I_ owe _you_. What do you want?"

Fred thought for a moment, then said slyly, "What I want is to give you what you want."

"That doesn't count!" I protested.

"So you're going to deny me my only want?" Fred mocked.

"I'm sure you want other things," I scoffed. Inside, I was screaming _Oh my God, oh my God_.

"Not right now. Tomorrow I might, and I might be kicking myself for not telling you I wanted an iPod or a video game or something, but right now all I want is to make you happy." If I wasn't absolutely giddy with love and excitement, I might've realized what Fred had just said.

"Fine!" I said, exasperated. "I'll let you give me something."

"Okay, so what do you want?" Fred asked, very pleased with himself.

I don't know why I said what I said next. Maybe it was because I had practically gone bonkers because of the way this conversation was going. Maybe it was me realizing that I'm a hero, too. Maybe it was the moonlight shining down at us and the fountain trickling like the prettiest music. Maybe it was Fred's blue eyes, staring straight into mine, or his hand around mine that made me tremble.

Maybe it was because I'm a stubborn, pig-headed idiot who never stops until she gets her heart broken. We'll never know, I guess. Because, in a voice that was shaky with emotion, I said, "Kiss me."

Fred's eyes brightened just a little, and then he leaned in and his lips met mine.

Let me just say that if I had died right then and there, heaven would have been disappointing. The kiss was beatiful and long and I was so happy, I'm surprised I didn't spontaneously combust.

When we finally stopped, Fred said dizzily. "Um, whoa... that felt like you were my girlfriend." At least he was the one who was dizzy.

I smiled. I was too happy to blush. "Well, it depends. Are you my boyfriend?"

Fred smiled a slow smile that would have broken my heart in other situations. "Why not?" Then he kissed me again.

I changed my mind. _Why not_ are my new two favorite words.

When we broke apart again, gasping for breath, I said weakly, "Wait, what happened to the whole 'just friends' thing?" Not really because I felt the need to point that out, but, you know - old habits die hard.

Fred look disgusted. "Just friends _my butt_!" Then he resumed kissing me. I was too busy to laugh.

I finally have my happily ever after.


	18. Epilogue

**_Aww, epilogue! The end, the very, very end. This is so bittersweet - such an accomplishment, but it's so sad to be done with it. I'm so sorry it took me so long - writer's block. Yuck. But I think I definitely plowed through it, because I really like how I ended this. Gives me great access to the sequel - yes, there will be a sequel. There is too many strings I left loose. Maybe I'll write an entire series - oooh, I like that idea!_**

**_In other news, I have published two new one-shots - both Fraphne, of course. _Talk To Her_ comes from a foreward that my friend sent me. The dialogue really fit Fred and Daphne, so I published it. _Last Kiss_ is sadder, and it's a songfic with a twist. I really like that song by Taylor Swift, and I like how it turned out - but you guys tell me. Lately I've been getting a lot of favorite story alerts without any reviews, and it's really starting to annoy me. Please, if you like my stories, tell me! I am dying for a lack of feedback!_**

**_So, here's the epilogue. Before I begin, I'd like to thank everyone who has ever read and reviewed this story - _**XxLadyStrengthxX**_, _**Brianna**_, _**Chilli555**_, _**chelxrose**_, _**Bella and Edward Forever 2**_, _**meliqueee**_, _**annabethchase999**_, _**jarjejaclover**_, _**Burdorf**_, _**lil bit24**_,_** T.K**_, _**daphnefredforever2**_, _**More-Than-Ever-17**_, _****_, _**AudreyMetalMouth**_, and _**LoveofVelma**_, I'm talking to you. If I missed you and you reviewd, sorry - I tried to get everyone.__ Another thank you to everyone who subscribed to my story and who added it as a favorite - I don't know how to access a list of that, but if I could I would name you all! And lastly, a special thank you to _**XxLadyStrengthxX**_ and _**AudreyMetalMouth**_ for being my friends and sticking with me! (hehe... I love side conversations...) _**

**_And now, without further ado ("My name is Ado!" Oh, iCarly... XD), I present to you:_**

**Epilogue**

**Or So We Thought**

Wow. Our story is done. Over. No more. I feel a little sad about that as I write this, but mostly I'm relieved. Although some may look back at it as an adventure, I look back at it as a few days of complete h-e-double hockey stick. You know what I mean, but Daphne Ann Blake does not swear or even curse. Never have, never will.

I'm outside sitting by the fountain. Yes, I know we have multiple fountains, but this is _the _fountain. It has been _the_ fountain ever since the party, when Fred kissed me, which was, to give you a sense of time, five days ago.

Love is beautiful, isn't it?

I don't really know what I should write now. Velma was the one who suggested I write it all down. "You're the best writer out of all of us, Daphne," she said sincerely. "And besides, if anyone else wrote it, we wouldn't get all that _juicy gossip_." I'd smacked her arm, but then agreed to do it. With my luck, I'd end up looking like a total loser if anyone else wrote it.

And so, I started busily scrawling in my notebook. Fred, who read it a few times while it was a work in progress, would point out something I missed or start laughing at how I described something. Mostly he just said, "That's seriously what you were thinking then?" Usually, it was something about him. Like, how much I was in love with him, or something embarressing like that.

Love really isn't that great at all, now that I come to think of it.

I know you're all wondering about all the people we've met, though. Glenda, Patty, Doris, Rickey, Pocahontas, Marty, Alex, Karla... half of them I don't want to remember and half of them I never want to forget. I guess I'll write about them.

Anyway, I'll start with the Fitzgeralds. Mr Estrada's granddaughters - wait, nieces. His nieces. Well, like all of the criminals we help to arrest, Mr. Estrada went to jail, along with all the minions or whatever. Which is mostly good, but isn't all good. Sure, Doris was released from jail, and sure, Mr. Estrada wouldn't try to, you know, kill us anymore. But the Fitzgeralds, since they couldn't stay with their uncle (obviously), went to stay with their cousin Emily. Here in Coolsville. Which means that Doris and Glenda go to Coolsville High. Yay, as in totally _not_ yay. Shaggy was the only one who was excited about it - he's been talking to Doris over the phone nonstop for weeks. Mostly they just say corny stuff and giggle like idiots, although Shagy was able to find out that Glenda broke up with her rotten boyfriend Alex. That's all those long phone calls seem to be good for. The rest of don't like Doris and _no one_ likes Glenda. Not to be mean or anything - wait, I changed my mind. To be mean, no one likes her. _Definitely_ to be mean.

Speaking of which, I finally got my locket back from Glenda. Doris gave to Shaggy when he was visiting her, and Shaggy gave it to me. Fred was seriously angry when he found out (which I thought was _totally_ adorable but I played along for his sake).

Patty apparently went to visit Velma after they moved in. She was the only Fitzgerald who wasn't a big bucket of whacko, and Velma really likes her - probably because they're both obsessed with reading (heaven knows why).

I called Rickey the day after the party. I'd been meaning to ever since I got out of the hospital, but never had time (well, that's what I told myself, but in reality I was kind of scared)After Fred kissed me, though, I thought I should thank him for helping me win him back.

"Oh, that's great," he said in that _oh-that's-not-great_ kind of tone.

I swallowed. "Rickey, I feel really bad now. I'm so sorry -"

"What's there to be sorry for?" He interrupted me. "Look, I have to go." Then he abruptly hung up.

So, that's still one problem left unsolved, and one of those that probably never will be solved. I feel guilty just thinking about it.

Pocahontas is one girl I will never forget. I owe my life to her. Same with Fred. One night, we were all at Fred's house when he suddenly stood up and announced that he wanted to thank Pocahontas, who I'd told him about earlier that day. He marched out of the living room, and then returned with a box of markers and construction paper.

"We're making her a thank-you card," Fred said with utter certainty. "I mean, the rest of you don't have to, but she saved me and Daph's life."

"Yeah, good idea," I said, rolling off the couch and flopping onto the floor with a _oof_. "She probably thinks we're jerks, not thanking her for probably the biggest favor someone can do." I laid down on my stomach and pulled the construction paper and markers toward me.

"It wasn't really a favor," Velma pointed out. "A favor is a friendly act done for free. I think this was a bit more, like a service or something."

"Velma," Shaggy sighed in his _oh-dear-here-she-goes-again_ tone.

"Shaggy," Velma responded quickly in her _I-don't-care-but-I-need-to-make-a-retort-so-I'll-just-repeat-yours-and-insert-your-name_ tone. They're so perfect for each other. It's wonder that they weren't the ones who were found making out in the back of the van. I wouldn't be surprised if that actually happened.

"But, like, don't you think you should get her something more than a card?" Shaggy asked helpfully. "Like, a necklace or something that girls like."

"Rike rood!" Scooby volunteered unhelpfully. "Ramburgers, rand rilkshakes, rand rench ries -"

"Scooby, we get it," Velma said dryly.

"Well, I guess a card won't really make us even," Fred said, chewing on his lip.

"You're not getting her what you got me," I muttered without looking up from the purple card I was writing _Thank You _on in big letters.

Fred laughed. "Well, now that you mention it -"

"_Shut up_," I said in a sing-song voice, hiding my smile.

"Like, I don't get it," Shaggy whispered loudly to Velma.

"Re rither," Scooby agreed.

My back was to Velma, but I knew she was rolling her eyes as she said, "He kissed her. In the garden. During the party. Right before the fireworks. All that romantic gunk." I was blushing wildly by this point, and I didn't have to sneak a glance at Fred to know he was too.

I shot her a glance over my shoulder. "Oh, so what happened to Marty Copeland? Did you dump him? Or did he dump you, and is that why you're so bitter?"

"_Nice_," Fred said in that classic boy tone.

Velma gave me a dirty look. "Ha ha. In fact, me and Marty are currently working on a long-distance relationship. He said he'd come visit me next weekend."

"You, like, really like that guy," Shaggy observed.

"Weird that you'd point that out," I said mischeviously.

"Weird that you'd say that," Fred said to me. I elbowed him in the rib, smiling to myself - I was actually able to do that without feeling awkward!

That was last night, and of course I was feeling all triumphant about my life being wonderful until Mrs. Jones bustled in and told me that my parents wanted me home. I'd frowned, but then I'd figured that parents are messed up, so I wasn't worried.

Yeah. I definitely should have been worried. Because when I got home, my father took me into the living room, and told me to sit down. That was when I started to worry.

"Daphne, I talked with your mother and -"

"Where is she?" I demanded. Dad would go easier on me if Mom was around.

"She went out to dinner with her book club," Dad said, annoyed at being interrupted. "Listen, we think it would be best if you stopped spending so much time with your mystery friends."

I stared at him. "No way."

"Daphne -"

"Dad, these are my best friends in the whole world, _plus_ my boyfriend!" I cried.

Dad froze. "Boyfriend?"

"Yes! And he kind of saved my life, so don't give me the whole he's-no-good-for-you speech, because without him, you'd be at my funeral right now. I'm not going to dump my friends just because of one _teeny_ accident!" I smiled a little at my totally fantastic speech.

"What about when the school nearly blew up - with you inside it?" he challenged. "And that time at Uncle Thorny's?"

"We were hardly friends during the whole school thing!" I protested. "And Velma was possessed at Uncle Thorny's, so it's not like it was really _normal _circumstances. Are we happy?"

And then Dad was suddenly furious. "No."

"Daddy -"

"The fact that you have to _explain_ why each of your near-death experiences isn't your friends' fault is proof enough. No more. From now on, you're forbidden to see them."

"This is ridiculous!" I said angrily. "You can't do this! They're practically my family!"

"Well, I guess now you'll be spending more time with the family who _doesn't_ get you nearly _killed_," he said cooly. I bit back a moan. When Dad was all calm about everything, there was no changing his mind. I stared at him for one more second, then I fled up the stairs and into my room, slamming the door on the way in. It felt good.

So I guess that's another aspect of my life that isn't paticularly perfect. That, and the fact that I've been having nightmares almost every night since I got home from the hospital.

I don't know why. I mean, we've been on cases before that had way more scary monsters. Zombie cheerleaders and frog monsters and phantoms and a gigantic _platypus_, for crying out loud. And I've always been fine. Maybe the fact that this was the on mystery where the criminal's motive was to eliminate us.

I guess the cause doesn't matter, because I've been waking up almost every night drenched it sweat, my heart banging against my rib cage, and using every ounce of strength in me to hold back screams. There's been tons of nightmares, and some of them aren't even about the Estrada mystery. But I keep having this horrible one when me and Fred are cornered on that same cliff we were trapped on weeks ago. And I push him off, and he always gets sucked under the water. That one really freaks me out.

I haven't had the courage to tell the gang about them - not even Fred. The only person I've been able to tell is Karla, who I've been exchanging emails with. I guess maybe because she had mentioned that she'd been having nightmares ever since the car crash, and I guess I'm able to relate to that. I don't know - it all seems very Bella Swan-like to me.

This whole thing actually seems Bella Swan-like. You know, a very dangerous climax but a totally perfect ending. Not perfect as in _oh-my-God-my-life-is-perfect_ perfect, but perfect as in _all-the-puzzle-pieces-lined-up-except-for-the-puzzle-piece-with-your-dad-on-it_ perfect. Even those creepy warnings we got from Mr. Estrada - they make sense. Sort of. I don't really know _why_ Mr. Estrada was trying to help us, but he was completely insane, so I guess he's allowed to do anything.

_Shaggy, don't run too fast_. That was telling Shaggy not to give in to Velma's iron belief that Doris was purely evil so fast; it was telling him to stay strong for his girlfriend. Cute, but it made the rest of us grind our teeth together to keep from saying something bad about Doris.

_Velma, never assume you are right_. She'd assumed she was right when she was accusing Doris, and look where that got us. Not that any of us blame her, but still. I guess it's a life lesson.

_Fred, be careful of destroying something that seems bad on the surface, when it is actually good_. That one we weren't too sure about, but Fred thought it had to do with how he had helped to destroy Doris's life when he was putting her in jail, and how she was so suspicious but in reality she was good. Then I pointed out how it wasn't his fault because he was so worried since I was all duct-taped and then he agreed, because that had to be the reason and how could've he have forgotten. Then he'd kissed me again, and I stopped mock-worrying over whether he was being sarcastic or not.

_And Daphne, I would suggest that you make a move sooner than later_. I was pretty much the only one who felt off about arresting Doris, and I didn't say anything. It was telling me to speak up. Wish I'd known that during this whole Estrada buisness.

The only warning that hasn't exactly come into play is Scooby's. He wasn't really in 'great danger' during the mystery - not any more than the rest of us. He wasn't even in the _most_ danger. That was me and Fred's department, thank you very much. I hope it was just Mr. Estrada being weird and not anything like -

* * *

It's five hours later. I'm sitting in my room, staring at the wall, and I don't know what to think.

I was in the middle of writing that last part (now that I think about it, it's pretty ironic that I was writing about that right then) when Fred suddenly burst through the hedge towards me. I stood up, dropping my pen and notebook on the grass, scared by the expression on Fred's face.

He stopped right in front of me, breathing hard. His eyes darted around the garden, nervous. I was already terrified.

"Freddie?" I whispered.

"Scooby's gone," he gasped raggedly.

The way he said _gone_ made me think he meant _dead_, and so you have no idea how my heart suddenly dropped to the bottom of my rib cage, and how I suddenly found it hard to stand up. My knees buckled, and I would have slammed my head against the stone bench by the fountain, except that Fred has quick reflexes and caught me before I could get a concussion.

"He's not dead," Fred added quickly.

It's amazing what words can do to you. I closed my eyes in relief, then realized _gone_ had to mean something. I opened my eyes again, and stood up straight. "What do you mean, gone?"

"I mean that Shaggy found Scooby's collar on his front steps last night, and he hasn't seen Scooby since."

I stared at him in horror, my pulse quickening. Eventually, I managed to say, "So he's what? Kidnapped?"

"I think so," Fred said grimly.

"Oh my God."

"Shaggy's reporting it to the police right now, and we've got to go make flyers." He pulled impatiently on my arm, but I hesitated, thinking about the whole _your-friends-are-unhealthy-so-don't-hang-with-them _speech from my dad. He'd be really mad... but this was more important. I followed Fred out of the garden and down the street, where we spent the next three hours hanging up _Have You Seen This Dog_? flyers and passing them out to people.

When I finally got home, there was another shouting match between me and my dad, and then there was a whispering match between my dad and my mom which I wasn't allowed to listen to. I ended up in my room, and then I'd found myself running outside and snatching my notebook and pen from the grass. I guess our story really isn't over, and I needed to record that.

I think I'll keep writing. Someday, this might be something I need to look back on. This will _definitely_ be something I need to look back on, if we ever want to find the last piece of the puzzle.

Oh, Scooby Doo, where are you?

**_OhmyGod, it's the ending. I think my allergies are starting up - oh, who are we kidding, we all know I'm sad! _**

**_Love as always,_**

**_Cierra_**


End file.
